Dirges of Discord
by lady-warrioress
Summary: Mumm-Ra find himself the unwilling power source for an alien race. The Thundercats, after finding their enemy's pyramid damaged and him missing are forced to go off on a rescue mission, after learning what could happen to everything they hold dear if they don't.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Infinite Power Source

A power source was needed. An evil power source. One that could be used for a long time without worry that the energy would disappear completely. But it had to be alive and that only made it much harder to find. Living things eventually died. They needed something immortal that could not die no matter how long they were needed. They had searched for this source for a long time but had come up empty.

Then hope.

Someone knew of a power source that would not deplete for a long time, an ever living power source in a small out of the way galaxy. Immortal. Just what they were looking for.

So they had sent their most cunning hunter to retrieve it, knowing they did not have a lot of time. It was of the utmost importance that they get the source, no matter what.

Nothing was going to prevent them from obtaining the power of evil.

* * *

The pyramid loomed in the distance, black and foreboding as the ship touched down at the edge of the Desert of Sinking Sands on the planet of Third Earth. The pilot shut down the power and exited the ship turning their head and focusing on the structure in the distance.

A large black pyramid dark as a void surrounded by four black obelisks. The sky around the structure was covered in thick storm clouds that glowed red but at the moment the weather around it seemed calm.

That wouldn't be the case soon, the hunter thought, turning back to the ship to retrieve their weapons. If what their information had said was true the moment they got close enough to the target those clouds would soon turn into a storm and with that storm came complications.

Oh well, it couldn't be helped. They knew the risk when they agreed to this mission, no sense worrying about it now.

With that in mind the hunter armed themselves thoroughly and headed across the desert to their destination. They remained cautious through the trek, keeping their head down and weapons offline. It would be foolish to draw unwanted attention, especially in such a desert that was unpredictable. So far the ground was solid, without any surprises but that could change at any moment, especially if the being residing in the pyramid was made aware of their presence.

Not too long afterward they reached the outside of the pyramid without any incident and paused once more giving the structure a long look. There did not seem to be any entrance to the place but they knew there had to be one. If they could not _find_ a way in they would _make_ a way in. They moved around the pyramid, eyes on the walls, searching, searching, searching.

There!

On the other side of the structure was the entrance. a open doorway in the wall. They cautiously came toward it, nerves on edge, expecting some kind of trap. It couldn't be that easy. A flash of lighting made them jump. The hunter looked up at the sky, spotting a red streak of electricity hit one of the obelisks. They waited a moment, expecting more but nothing happened. If they had been spotted they were sure the pyramid would have done more. It seemed they were safe for now.

Breathing a sigh they continued toward the entrance and stepped inside the building without a moment's hesitation. The way to the center of the pyramid was free and clear and the hunter began to get the feeling that their target did indeed know they were there and was waiting for them. The hunter slowed their pace, growing more cautious. They couldn't help but smirk though. Let him know, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it once they got there. They could put up a fight, though. It would make things interesting.

They saw a light up ahead and knew that they were about to enter the burial chamber where their target resided. They gripped their weapon, steeling their nerves for when they got there. If they didn't get this done right they might as well never even return home.

"Here I come, ready or not." the hunter muttered before stepping into the chamber.

The moment they entered the room they had to pause a moment to look around. The burial chamber was a large enclosure that reached all the way to the very top of the structure. The walls seemed to be adorned with many different types of statues and horrifying images. In the center of the room stood four statues of a vulture, a bull, a crocodile, and a boar surrounding a large cauldron in the very center of the room which bubbled as if over a constant flame.

But none of that was of any importance to the hunter. It was just mere decoration anyway, as the being from antiquity who had made them were known for placing a lot of useless items with their dead. The hunter's eyes focused on a skull like image structure decorating the back wall and the sarcophagus propped up inside it. Their target would be resting inside that stone coffin.

Once spotting the sarcophagus they walked further into the room, nerves on edge and ready for anything that would be thrown at them. There was no point getting cocking and allowing themselves to be taken by surprise. It would be foolish.

" _You must be very brave or very foolish to come here alone, hunter."_ a voice suddenly spoke.

The hunter stopped, eyes scanning the room for the source. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, echoing off the black stone walls. Movement by the coffin brought their attention back in that direction and they saw the lid slowly slide open. A figure wearing a blood red cloak stepped out and turned their face toward them. The hunter found themselves staring into two large red eyes that held an evil fire. The eyes were centered in a gray shriveled face and below them was a large saw toothed smile. They didn't even have to think too hard to conclude that this being was the person they had come to retrieve, even if he looked unimpressive. An old mummy, a frail shriveled being who looked like he would fall apart at any moment.

"Greetings, Hunter," the being said, revealing then that it was the voice they'd heard earlier. "So you seek an audience with Mumm-Ra, do you?"

The hunter spoke then. "Not an audience, mummy," they corrected him.

The being chuckled, as if amused by what the other had said. "Then tell me, hunter," he said. "Why are you here? You don't seem to be working with the Thundercats."

"It's simple, mummy," the hunter said, holding their weapon in an offensive posture. "I was sent here to get you and bring you back to my planet with me." they clicked a button on their weapon. "and it would be very wise of you to do what I ask."

"Go with you?" the mummy laughed mockingly. "Why would I do such a foolish thing like that?"

"You don't have a choice," they said. "If you don't agree to come with me I will be forced to make you."

The mummy found that highly amused and laughed once more. " _You_ make _me_ come with you?" he taunted. "I'd like to see you try."

The hunter had hoped things would go down easily but it had been apparent from the start that was not going to happen. They sighed and raised their weapon aiming it at him. "All right then. We'll just have to do this the hard way."

"Hard for you, but easy for me," the other being replied, smirking at him. "because this is where your journey ends, hunter."

The mummy raised it arms and began to chant some kind of incantation.

 _"Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this decayed form into Mumm-Ra the Ever Living!"_

As he said this his body seemed to grow and fill out, becoming more muscular and alive looking. His cloak and wrappings were replaced with a wing like cape, a gold, blue, and red skirt, and a helmet adorned with gold fixtures and two black cobra's on the top. Red and black streamers with a life of their own flowed out from the helmet and on the creature's muscular torso sat a tattoo of a red circle surrounding two snakes intertwined.

When the transformation was complete the now much larger and more powerful creature raised it's hand and fired red beams of energy at them.

The hunter moved quickly, jumping up in the air to avoid being hit. They flipped over the cauldron and landed in front of the monster. Having to throw themselves sideways when he swung a large clawed fist at them. He followed after them with his other hand, firing shot after shot of dark energy, just barely missing hitting them, though one managed to graze the armor on their back.

The hunter was chased away from the being, rushing behind a large statue of a bull to avoid being hit directly.

"Come out, hunter," they heard the creature call out with a laugh. "Are you afraid to face me now that you know what you're up against? You were a fool to have come here all by yourself because now this place will become your grave."

The hunter snuck a quick peek around the side of the statue to see where their adversary was. The monster spotted them instantly. "Found you!" he shouted shooting at them and forcing them to duck back behind the statue.

The hunter pressed their back against the statue, gritting their teeth under their helmet, their mind racing through all the information it had learned about this thing who called itself Mumm-Ra the Ever Living. Somewhere in all that data there had to be some way to beat this thing, that was why they'd come there after all. If only they could remember what they had read...

A growling sound got their attention and they looked down at their feet and lowered their head, spotting a rather ugly old dog standing close by, it's hackles raised and it's gums pulled back away from it's teeth in a vicious growl. Not another problem. The hunter raised their weapon and fired at the dog, in no mood to deal with it. The last thing they needed right now was to have their mind split into two adversaries. The dog yelped and ran away from the firepower.

"Shooting at helpless animals now?" a voice spoke up behind them. "I would have thought that was beneath such a _noble_ warrior."

The hunter spun around, firing wildly at the creature called Mumm-Ra. He easily deflected the blow with his hand, laughing mockingly while doing so. "You'll have to do better than that." he fired at the hunter this time who had to jerk backward to avoid being hit.

The blast managed to make contact with their weapon, causing it to overload. They quickly threw the item away which exploded in the air.

Mumm-Ra continued laughing at the hunter, still dishing out verbal abuse. "So much for your little toy." he rose in the air and fired again, forcing the hunter to take cover once more. "You shouldn't have come here with such useless weaponry. It won't be of any use to you here."

Hot energy flew over the hunter's head as they threw themselves to the ground to avoid being hit.

The mummy laughed at the hunter's scrambling to get out of the way, shouting insults at how pathetic they were being and giving them no chance to fire back. Mocking them for coming after him when it was obvious they were not qualified for the job after all. That is until the hunter ducked behind another one of those giant statues. He stopped blasting at them then and began to fly around it to get at them.

The hunter remained just out of sight, ducking around the corners as he flew around after it. As they did so their mind started drawing conclusions. Their target seemed to be making an effort not to damage these statues and as they ducked out of his line of fire once more they remembered something they had read in the files for the creature, something they'd forgotten only moments before.

" _Of course_ ," they muttered, reaching into their utility belt. "He gets his power from the statues, or more likely the beings inside of them." They pulled out a small disc. "Destroy the statues and you destroy that power..."They placed the disc against the statue and took off running, counting under their breath as they rushed away from it. _"Three... two.. one..."_

BOOM!

There was an explosion by the statue as the bomb the hunter had placed on it went off. The statue shuddered for a moment then broke it half, the top falling heavily to the floor.

The hunter heard yelling behind them and looked over their shoulder, spotting the being holding his head in horror, pain, or both. He recovered after a moment and turned his attention back to them. "You will _pay_ for that!"

They moved quickly, avoiding more blasts of energy from him as they rushed to the next statue, taking out another bomb to attach to it. The statues did indeed seem to be connected to his powers and destroying that one seemed to have harmed him in some way. All they needed to do was destroy the rest and they would have Mumm-Ra right where they wanted him. They attached another bomb to the statue of the vulture and rushed away before it exploded.

More screaming as the statue fell over and then the sound of rushing air. The hunter dived to the ground just seconds before they would have been grabbed by the mummy who had dive bombed them in an attempt to stop them. They looked up, spotting him circling around for another go and rolled sideways, taking out a small crossbow that attached to their wrist. They attached another bomb to it and fired the arrow at the other statue just as Mumm-Ra flew down and grabbed them by the throat and once more rose into the air, taking them with him.

He glared into their visor covered face, murder in his glowing red eyes. "You are going to-"

KABOOM!

The arrow hadn't attached itself to the statue but it had been close enough to it to do good damage when it went off. The surface of the statue cracked and the top fell to the floor. When this happen Mumm-Ra grabbed his head with his free hand and screamed into the hunter's face, his flight suddenly growing erratic. They could sense he was going to crash any minute and raised their legs, kicking him mightily in the chest. He was so distracted with his own pain he easily let them go and allowed the hunter to land safely on the ground while he flew over them and crashed in front of the skull like structure housing the sarcophagus. He then lay on the ground, holding his head and groaning.

The hunter sighed and brushed themselves off, keeping their eye on him the whole time. He continued writhing on the floor seemingly so blinded by his own agony he had forgotten all about his adversary. The hunter smirked under their helmet, thinking how pathetic the mummy looked now that his precious statues were broken.

Now he would be easier to deal with.

Taking off their helmet the hunter walked toward the tortured mummy, using their free hand to reach into their utility belt to retrieve another piece of their arsenal. A tranquilizer gun. They didn't know how this things system worked dut to it obviously being some kind of lich but the planet's scientific minds had managed to come up with some kind of sedative that hopefully worked, even on undead magicians.

 _I'll find out soon enough,_ the hunter thought, raising the gun and taking aim at Mumm-Ra. _Because I am going to try it. If it doesn't work I am screwed._

As they drew close enough to fire Mumm-Ra looked up at them, his red eyes falling on the hunter's face and he was given his first good look at the creature he would grow to have a hate more than even the Thundercats.

It was a youngish face covered in pale pink skin, white hair that seemed to move on its own accord framed the slender face which held two glowing white eyes, a small nose and pale blue lips, two sharply pointed ears stuck out from under that chaotically alive hair. The face looked like that of a woman's but there was something terribly off putting about it, though the features didn't seem that impressive. It gave him a very uneasy feeling, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Wh-what are you?" he managed to ask, his voice strained.

The hunter's eyes stopped glowing and changed to two more human like eyes though the irises were black as a void, housing no pupils. When the hunter spoke it was in a fractured tone, different now that they had removed their helmet which had held a translator. "A nightmare."

The hunter aimed at him and fired off the small gun they held.

He flinched slightly when they did so feeling something prick him in the neck. His vision began to swim instantly and he felt his energy waning. He suddenly felt very tired, like he should just lay down and go to sleep...

"No!" he exclaimed instantly realizing was was happened. He forced himself to stand, fighting off the drug with a fresh burst of anger.. "You will not win! I will not allow it!" he managed to get on his feet, towering over the hunter. He raised his hand to hit this disgusting otherworldly upstart with a blast of power. But the moment he tried, his legs seemed to give out and he stumbled forward before collapsing heavily to the stone floor with a crash.

The last thing he saw before his vision was encased in darkness was the gloating smile on the hunter's pale face.

 _A/N_

 _I had an idea. Any questions will be answered later so if this piqued your interest keep reading._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 The Stakes

The clouds outside the pyramid become thick with storm clouds as the hunter left the structure with their prize and returned to their ship in triumph. Lighting flashed as they boarded the ship and took off into the sky, leaving the planet with the roar of thrusters. Inside the pyramid, the eyes of the broken statues lit up bright red and the cauldron in the center of the room began to boil madly. A large winged being of pure energy lifted out of the pool and with a loud screech, bolted out the window in the ceiling, it's crackling body streaking into the sky and toward a large panther shaped structure in the distance.

* * *

Panthro, a black panther colored Thundercat was up on monitor duty that evening. The dark Thundercat sat in the control room, his golden orange eyes glued on the screen. He didn't know why but for some reason he was having a bad feeling. He tapped on the keys, going from camera to camera, looking for anything that was out of place.

The Thundercat noticed a storm was forming.

Thunder crashed loudly, making him jump and then shiver, clearly unsettled by the sudden sound. "Brrr..."

"Scared of the storm, Panthro?" a voice behind him asked.

The Thundercat looked over his shoulder, spotting Tygra, the black, orange and white tiger Thundercat walking toward him. He was looking at his comrade with an amused smile, as if he found the fact that the storm was freaking him out hilarious. "Um.. no, no!" Panthro insisted quickly. "It's nothing like that at all."

"Sure." Tygra stood by the control panel and folded his arms, still in a humorous mood. "You sure?" he asked, grinning. "You jumped higher than a thunderkitten who got into the catnip."

"It's got nothing to do with that storm, Tygra," Panthro corrected him, pointing to the screen. "Something else is brewing out there and I don't like the looks of it."

Tygra looked at the screen, frowning. "Mumm-Ra?" he asked, naming their biggest foe on Third Earth. If a bad thing happened it was usually due to the mummy.

"I don't know," the other thundercat responded, frowning thoughtfully. "but if it is, he must be trying some new tactics this time."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he hasn't shown himself at all," he pointed out." we would have known he was here by now. That laugh of his isn't exactly unrecognizable."

"Indeed." Tygra sat down in the other chair in front of the monitor and sat back in it, asking. "So then, if it's not him, who else would it be? The Mutants?"

"Doubtful. Not even Vultureman is clever enough for something like this and the Lunataks tend to be a bit more flashy when they do something."

"Then who-"

Suddenly the siren went off and both Thundercats looked at the screens expecting to see a threat there. There appeared to be nothing on the monitors but Panthro wanted to be sure. He clicked out some commands on the control console and small boxes showing the feed from all the camera's appeared on the screen. There was nothing there aside from wind and rain.

"Wait, look!" Tygra exclaimed pointing to one of the images, the camera feed halfway down the far right side of the screen. "Zoom in on that one there."

His comrade did so, the camera zooming in quickly enough to catch a glimpse of some bright yellow energy moving right through the walls.

"What is that?" Tygra asked, his golden eyes widening.

"That might be what was giving me a bad feeling earlier," Panthro stated, grabbing up his nun-chuck weapon off the control panel and dashing toward the door. "Come on!"

The other Thundercat jumped up after his friend and quickly followed him out of the room and into the hall where they dashed off to alert the others of the security breech.

They met the Lion-O the lord of the Thundercats, a humanoid with lion colorings, in the hallway. The sirens had wakened the red haired thundarian and he'd gotten up to investigate. "What going on, Panthro?" he asked when he met up with the others. "What made the alarms go off?"

"I don't know exactly," the darker Thundercat admitted. "But whatever it was it went right through the walls."

Lion-O stared at him in confusion. "Right through the walls?"

Tygra nodded as Panthro continued. "We'd better find it before it damages something."

The three Thundercats rushed off down the hallway, passing by the bedrooms of the other Thundercats, a female with cheetah coloring named Cheetara, and a pair of twins, brother and sister, with wildcat colors named WhileyKat and Whileykit, who poked their heads out and asked what was going on. When they got their answer the other Thundarians rushed out to join their friends. Soon even Snarf, Lion-O's childhood nanny, had joined in the chase. The group of Thundercats found the creature Panthro and Tygra had spotted inside the room where the Sword of Omens, Thundera's most prized relic, was located. The energy being flew around the sword, looking as if it were about to grab it and fly off with it.

"It's after the Sword of Omens!" Snarf exclaimed.

Lion-O rushed forward to rescue the sword as Tygra took out his own weapon, a whip-like devise and cracked it at the energy being, which flew out of range and out the door as Lion-O grabbed the sword. They all then chased after the thing which flew to the exit and out of the lair. Everyone stood out in the large doorway watching it fly off across the sky and out of view.

"Where is it going?" Whileykat asked, squinting against the darkness in an attempt to keep track of the flying energy being.

"I don't know," Lion-O said, raising the Sword of Omens to his face. "But I'm going to find out." he spoke a command to the sword, which changed shape with the words. "Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight."

The Lord of the Thundercats could now see the energy being moving and which direction it was taking which didn't surprise him at all when he saw the large black structure in the distance. It all made perfect sense now. He lowered the sword and Cheetara asked. "What did you see?"

"That creature is heading to Mumm-Ra's pyramid," he responded, looking at her.

"Mumm-Ra? I should have known," Panthro muttered. "So what do we do now?"

"We're going after it," the Thundercat Lord told him in a tone that said there was no other option. "Mumm-Ra has to learn that he can't just go around thinking he can do whatever he wants all the time." the Thunderian headed down the stairs. "Come on."

"I'll get the Thundertank," Panthro responded, dashing off to get the Thundercat's land vehicle. "If we want to get there before the sun comes up."

A few moments later the Thundercats were riding in Panthro's Thundertank, chasing after the energy being. "There it is!" Whileykit exclaimed, pointing toward the distant creature in the sky. "You're right, Lion-O. It _is_ heading for Mumm-Ra's pyramid!"

Panthro pulled on the steering wheel and turned the tank toward the home of their most powerful enemy.

* * *

The Thundercats arrived at the pyramid minutes later and quickly disembarked out of the Thundertank. They stood outside the pyramid, looking up at it. Before Panthro had parked the tank the group had seen the energy creature fly inside it through the window near the very top of the structure. It would now be inside, waiting for them.

"So what do we do now?" Cheerara asked the others.

"We have to go in after it," Lion-O told her. "But be on guard in case Mumm-Ra tries anything."

"But how are we going to get inside?" she asked him. "The pyramid is sealed."

"Wait, look!" Whileykat exclaimed, pointing to the pyramid. "The door is wide open!"

The Thundercats all turned and indeed the entrance was open.

"I don't like the looks of this," Snarf spoke up worriedly, voicing what they were all thinking. "It's almost like he's inviting us in."

"Snarf's right," Lion-O agreed with the smaller creature. "We will have stay on alert in case this is another one of Mumm-Ra's traps." He started for the door. "Let's get inside."

The others followed, staying close and on alert. The group walked through the entrance and down the long hall that led to the center of the pyramid where Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus rested, remaining cautious in case the mummy had set up booby traps for them to walk into. Surprisingly though, nothing happened the entire way there and by the time they reached the burial chamber they were more than a little confused. What in the world was going on?

"Whoa!" Tygra exclaimed when he saw the state the room was in. "What happened here?"

The Thundercats all stopped to stare at the ruins before them. Three of the four ancient spirits statue's heads lay broken on the floor, the walls had cracks in them that hadn't been there before and the cauldron in the center of the room was completely still, not even bubbling like it usually did. To make things worse a stillness hung in the air, making the burial chamber feel like, well a tomb.

The place looked like the aftermath of a war, especially with the unusual stillness.

"What did he do?" Panthro asked, putting his hands on his hips. "Loose his marbles and start wrecking his own home?"

Lion-O looked thoughtful. That didn't sound like Mumm-Ra. Yes, he was by all accounts insane but he always went to great lengths to ensure his pyramid was not harmed. It was the place he had to return to after using up too much energy after all, and that fact made it even more confusing. "Now why would he do that when-"

The Thundercat Lord was interrupted by the sound of whining. The Thundercat's leader turned his head and spotted some movement by one of the ruined statues. "Who's there?" he demanded, his hand on the sword. "Show yourself."

The movement continued and a second later a creature walking on four legs stepped gingerly out of it's hiding place. "It's Ma-Mutt!" Whileykit exclaimed, as she and her brother rushed over to the dog. The twins leaned down to look at him making him whimper and shake like a leaf as the mummified canine backed away from them fearfully. "What's the matter?" Whileykit asked the dog. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Poor thing," Whileykat remarked when Ma-Mutt walked toward them gingerly and allowed them to comfort him with pets. "Something must have scared him."

"Whatever frightened him, must be responsible for what happened here," Lion-O remarked, pointing to the destruction. "Whatever it was."

"Hey look!" Cheetara exclaimed, pointing to the other side of the cauldron, at the back wall. "I don't know about you but, I don't think that should be missing."

The others looked as well, startled by what they saw, or rather what they didn't see. "Where's his sarcophagus?!" Tygra exclaimed.

Just then, before any of them could answer the question, the cauldron came to life, bubbling rapidly. Lion-O looked into it, his golden eyes widening at what he was seeing. "Hey, look at this!"

Images in the cauldron appeared as the Thundercats all crowded around to get a look. The images that appeared in the boiling water seemed to be showing what had happened that had caused the pyramid to wind up in the shape it was in. The group saw something that wasn't coming up clearly, enter the room, and then the fight between Mumm-Ra and the creature, which had ended when the blurry being had destroyed the statues. After Mumm-Ra had fallen unconscious on the floor at the strangely blurred creature's feet the image blinked out as the cauldron finished replaying the incident.

The Thundercats all looked at one another, each trying to make sense of what they had just seen.

"What was that?" Snarf finally asked after a moment of stunned silence.

Just as Panthro was about to say something a quartet of loud otherworldly voices spoke up. _"Thundercats, listen well!"_ they boomed.

"Yikes!" Snarf exclaimed, jumping fearfully onto Lion-O's shoulder. "What was that?"

 _"We are the Ancient Spirits of Evil!"_ the voices answered for him. _"We are the beings that gave Mumm-Ra all of his powers."_

"Are you the ones who brought that creature into Cats Lair so we would follow it here?" Lion-O asked frowning.

 _"We are!"_ was the answer they got.

"Why would you do that?"

 _"We require your assistance, Thundercats!"_ they continued. _"Mumm-Ra has been taken prisoner to a far off planet to be used as a power source. You must go and get him back."_

Lion-o frowned, bothered by their request. Were they kidding? Rescue Mumm-Ra?!. "Why do you think we would agree to such a thing after all he has done to us and the people of Third Earth?" Did these spirits think they were crazy?

"Yeah," Snarf agreed. "I say let them have him. It would be doing all of us a favor."

The other thundercats all nodded in agreement. They all felt the same way about it. Good riddance.

 _"FOOLS!"_ the spirits yelled, as the cauldron once more began showing images. " _If these creatures use Mumm-Ra for their power the whole universe will be in danger."_

The cauldron showed another image. The galaxy they were in imploding on itself. Planets and stars were destroyed one by one, including Third Earth. The spirits made sure to show them all in gory detail what was going to happen and it left a very disturbing impression on them all.

 _"These creatures will have enough power to destroy the entire universe. Nothing will be left, not even a single planet!"_ The water suddenly went calm. _"If you choose to take no action this will be the consequence. This is a warning, Thundercats! The fate of the universe is in your hands!"_

The Thundercats looked at one another, letting the reality of the situation sink in.

"Do you believe them?" Cheetara asked, placing her hands on her hips. "What if this is a trick?"

Lion-O looked unsure about that. He'd picked up something in the Ancient Spirit's voices and that left the impression that what they had showed them might not be a trick. "I don't know. Why would they lie?"

"So we bring Mumm-Ra back and he will destroy us, snarf snarf," Snarf replied, giving Lion-O a look that said he should already know this.

 _"This is no trick!"_ the spirits shouted, having heard the snarf's objection. " _Think about it, Thundercats! If you do not believe our words you can ask Jaga!"_

Lion-O and the others fell silent at the mention of the Thundercat's ghostly mentor. Would they really invoke Jaga's name if they were lying to them? The Lord of the Thundercats began to consider it all, weighing all of his options and everything he'd just learned. The other Thundercats all looked at him and Cheetara finally asked. "Lion-O, what are we going to do? Should we help them and bring Mumm-Ra back?"

Lion-O looked at her. "I don't think we really have a choice, Cheetara." he turned his attention to the cauldron and the broken statues. "All right spirits, you have a deal."

" _You have made the right choice, Thundercat!"_ the spirits boomed at the Lord of the thundercats turned away and headed out of the pyramid.

His comrades followed after him each asking questions. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Tygra asked him.

Lion-O looked back at the tiger Thundercat and nodded. "Yes, Tygra, I do think it is the right thing to do."

His friend looked startled, eyes wide. "Do you mean that?" he gasped. "I mean-"

"I have made up my mind, Tygra," Lion-O cut him off before he could finish his protest. "We are going to rescue Mumm-Ra!"

 _A/N_

 _Woooo. That took a lot of thinking. I hope I got everyone in character here. Thundercats are harder to write for than Mumm-Ra is. You'll learn more about the mysterious aliens and their motives as time goes on. Stay tuned._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Confirmation

"Sir, I have retrieved the creature," the hunter spoke to a large monitor screen in their ship. They had recently left the planet and once they were safely in space, they'd taken the time to contact their superiors back on the homeworld after making sure Mumm-Ra was secure and wouldn't be able to break free easily. "We should be arriving within the next forty eight hours."

"Very good," the male creature on the screen said. "I would have expected you to have retrieved it much sooner."

The hunter frowned. "I had a little trouble," they replied, folding their arms. "I had forgotten he could change his form. That had only been a minor footnote in the information I had been given."

"That was an unfortunate oversight," the other alien responded. "But you seemed to have overcome it either way."

The hunter's face changed slightly, revealing some rather unpleasant feelings. "Indeed..."

"But the information also said he will run out of power after awhile. This was a problem we all could not find an answer for."

"I have taken care of that," the hunter told him, moving slightly so the alien in the screen could see the item propped against the wall behind them. "You do remember what the information said about his sarcophagus, right?"

* * *

" _Tyy aran dole icton ver_."

Some kind of nonsensical gibberish reached Mumm-Ra's ears as he began to awaken. It was spoken in a rather chaotic tone, the pronunciations off in all the wrong places. He'd either lost all sense of human language or somebody had come up with a while new set of words he in all his years of existence had never heard before. Whatever the answer the sound of it gave him a unnerving, skin crawling feeling.

Forcing his eyes open he found himself staring down at a metal floor. This was not the floor of his sarcophagus or pyramid, as it was the wrong color. Come to think of it, he had no idea what color that floor was, it sounded illogical but it was of no known identifical color and staring at it for too long was giving him vertigo. He grunted, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth.

The speakers of the strange language stopped talking. They must have heard him. He heard footsteps approaching and forced his eyes open once more, this time resting them on that weirdly unsettling pink face of the creature he'd fought in his pyramid.

"Awake?" the being spoke in that fractured voice as they looked up at his face. "Good. Is about time."

"You!" he roared, making as if to swipe at them only to find his arm wasn't doing what he wanted. He turned his head, startled. His arm extended away from him, held in place to the wall his back was resting against by a round metal shackle which circled his wrist. He growled and tried to yank it free, only to get a rather painful jolt for his efforts.

"Wouldn't try that again, if I were you," the hunter spoke up, regaining his attention. "Those restraints were created specifically for beings like you. You won't be breaking 'em any time soon."

"We'll see about that!" Once more he strained to break free, his hands glowing red for a moment as he attempted to create a powerful energy burst. The light flickered then fizzled out, leaving nothing behind but his startled expression.

 _What the?!_

"Keep struggling, will only give my ship more power to siphon off." the hunter gave him a wicked smile. "'anks for that, mummy."

Mumm-Ra growled at the smaller being, picturing in his mind what he would do to them were he free at that moment. The ways he would do it ranged from silly to very gruesome and the gruesome ones were a lot more appealing. He clenched his hands into fists but didn't try to struggle anymore as doing so seemed to make the shackles holding him still grow tighter.

 _"Vy yon de vendor fur."_ someone was speaking that weird language again.

The hunter turned from Mumm-Ra, their attention diverted to a large screen, built into the wall to his right. They walked over to the screen and began to speak in that same chaotic mess of a language, gesturing toward their captive. Mumm-Ra turned his head, spotting another pale skinned alien on the screen with similar features to the hunter but had a slightly more masculine built. The two conversed for a moment longer, ignoring him for the time being and then they signed off and the hunter shut down the monitor picking up an object off the small table by it and returning to speak with him further.

"What were you two talking about?" he demanded. "Seeing as it seemed to be about me I would love a translation."

The hunter frowned but did answer his question. "He was simply making a statement of your form," they replied. "and the fact that it will have to be altered."

"And what is the problem with my form?!" he snapped. Mumm-Ra had remained in his Ever Living form even after losing. It wasn't a problem for him, since he could maintain it longer than he used to but it seemed to be a problem for these people. "When your own form is far less appealing."

The hunter said. "From the information I had gathered you should not be able to maintain it after losing consciousness," they replied, turning away slightly to remove the cloth covering the object. "This was a mistake on my part as I had moved you too quickly. I should not have put the restraints on you while you were still that big as they serve as a magic freezer. You are that way because of that."

Mumm-Ra had to smirk. "So you _do_ make mistakes after all," he sneered. "So what do you intent to do? Release me so I can return to my other form." he clenched his fist, grinning at the idea. "I would really _enjoy_ that."

"No, I will not release you as that would be unwise." they looked back at him now. "But I can fix this without having to." they turned around now, still holding the object in their hands. "I am also aware of a certain weakness you had 'at has been said was removed. But I am assuming that in a weakened state and without those statues being in one piece to power you that little inconvenience has been remedied."

Now the hunter raised the object, a mirror. They held it up so he would get a look at himself and when he did the outcome was not what he'd expected at all. He found he couldn't look at himself, something he had thought the Ancient Spirits had taken care of when giving him back his power. He screamed, turning his face away from his reflection, completely overwhelmed by it and, as he did so, his form began to revert back to normal, his body becoming smaller and thinner. Once he was back to his mummified state the shackles on his wrist , still keeping him prisoner and standing even though all he wanted to do was fall over.

The hunter lowered the mirror, once more smiling that wicked smile. "Looks like it worked after all."

He glared up at them, his voice seething hatred as he demanded. " _How_ did you do that?"

But the hunter did not give him an answer, seemingly deciding that the _how_ was not important and he had no right to know, even if he felt otherwise. Why should they anyway since he was the prisoner and therefore had no right to know no matter how he felt? Instead the hunter simply covered the mirror up and changed the subject.

"That's not important as of now," the hunter said. "What you should be focusing on is your fate when 'e reach Eris."

"Eris?" that named sounded familiar and not just because it was the name of a Greek goddess. He thought he remembered spotting the planet in the cauldron hundreds of years ago, though nothing about it stood out and he had simply looked it over. "You mean that pathetic little white planet with nothing important on it?"

The hunter looked down their nose at him. "I would watch what I said about the planet Eris," they warned. "Seeing as 'at is where you're going to spent the rest of your immortal existence."

"Your kind obviously haven't done as much research on me as you claim," he stated, seemingly coming up with a flaw in these being's plan. "I cannot live outside of my sarcophagus for an extended period of time. My power will be depleted and I will be useless to all of you."

"We thought about that too." the hunter responded, taking out a remote like device and hitting a button. A metal slab moved upward and revealed his sarcophagus propped up against the far wall.

Mumm-Ra stared in shock at the coffin. The hunter, noticing the look on his face smirked. "Surprise?" they asked. "'e have prepared for everything. 'e knew you must return to it to recharge your power and 'at is not too hard to deal with. If and when you run out of it 'e will simply put you in there just long enough for you to regain it but not enough for you to try anything else. What have you to say now?"

Mumm-Ra didn't know what to say. This just wasn't possible! It couldn't be. "You Can't-"

The hunter leaned toward him, their face dangerously close, smiling a small that showed off thin, needle like teeth. "But 'e can and 'e will," they said, their voice growing dark as their eyes glowed. "and 'ere is nothing you can do about it."

He gritted his teeth staring into that unsettling face, his mind going blank with horror. It wasn't because he was afraid of them but because he knew they were _right_. He could do nothing about it.

Nothing at all.

* * *

The Thundercats had returned to Cat's Lair where they decided what to do next. Lion-O had been very clear that a group of them would go and bring Mumm-Ra back while also leaving behind a few to keep an eye on the Mutants and Lunataks who might take advantage of both the mummy and the Thundercat's absence to try to take over the planet.

It had been decided that Lion-O would go, along with Panthro, Tygra, Cheetera and Pumyra. Linx-O, Bengali, and the twins would remain on the planet. The twins had argued with the adult's about the decision but Lion-O had remained firm. If the inhabitants of the planet were as dangerous as the Ancient Spirits of Evil claimed it would be best for the children to stay on Third Earth.

"But we've been in dangerous situations before!" Whileykat protested.

"Not like this," Lion-O pointed out. "Besides we need you to stay here and protect the planet from Mutant or Lunatak attacks and," he pointed to Ma-Mutt who'd come with them back to the lair. The dog had followed the Thunderkitten twins everywhere they went. "Who will take care of Ma-Mutt? You wouldn't want him to be left all alone, what with his master being away."

The twins looked at the dog who wagged his tail. "But he's _Mumm-Ra's_ dog!" Whileykit argued. "He could come along with use and help us find Mumm-Ra!"

"They _do_ have a point there, Lion-O," Panthro pointed out, scratching his chin. "Ma-Mutt would know exactly where his master is on that planet."

Lion-O shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "while that might be true, there is more of a chance that bringing him along will only put his master and us as well in further danger. It's best he stay here and that goes double for you two." he addressed the twins.

"Aww..." the twins sighed with disappointment. They walked off with the dog following them while they muttered. "We _never_ get to do anything fun."

Lion-O chuckled before turning his attention to the others, he gave them some instructions then walked to his room in Cat's Lair to take a moment to consider everything. He sat down on his bed and thought aloud about the current problem.

"Am I _really_ doing the right thing?" he asked himself, closing his eyes and clenching his fists. "I know what the Ancient Spirits said but could they really be lying about this? Did they mention Jaga just to make us not even question their statement? What if this is all just a trick to help them bring back Mumm-Ra?"

" _No,Lion-O_ ,"spoke up a disembodied voice that made the Thundercat look up. An ethereal figure in a long cloak appeared before him. " _This is not a trick. The Ancient Spirits are telling the truth."_

"But how exactly would they be able to do what the spirits have told claimed?"

" _There is much you don't know about the Erisians_ ," Jaga, the old Thundercat mentor responded. " _But I can say they are a planet inhabited by all forms of chaos and discord. Even the name of their planet says that those who live there do not have order."_

"How can one exist without some form of order?"

 _"Some creatures have no interest in order."_ Jaga responded _. "Take caution once you reach the planet. Do your best not to be spotted as your welfare is of no concern to them."_

Lion-O started to ask another question but Jaga vanished before he could. He sat there for a moment, letting what the Thundercat elder had told him sink in. This trip was going to be much more dangerous than he had first thought. There would be no negotiating with these beings if, as Jaga said, their system was run by chaos and they had no understanding of order.

Him and the others would have to be very careful.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and he looked up. "Come in!"

Cheetera poked her head in. "We're ready," she reported.

"All right," he said, standing up and walking toward her. "We'd better get going, we've wasted enough time already. "

The female Thundercat nodded and moved away from the door so he could join her in the hall. "Are you _sure_ we should be doing this?" she asked him as they walked to the entrance of Cat's Lair. "I mean how are you sure that the Ancient Spirits were telling the truth just because they mentioned Jaga?"

"They were telling the truth," he confirmed to her. "I just spoke with Jaga and he validated it."

Cheetara looked surprised by this. "He _did_?"

Lion-O nodded. "He told me something else as well," he told her. "It seems the inhabitants of the planet Mumm-Ra was taken to have a very strange way of living."

"Strange? How?"

"I'll explain once we're on our way," he promised. "Right now we should focus on convincing Snarf that he's not coming with us."

"I don't think Snarf is going to ever be convinced," she answered. "He feels it's his responsibility to go with us to make sure you don't run into trouble."

Lion-O chuckled. "That's Snarf for you," he remarked. "and you're probably right."

The two Thunderians had reached the entrance by then and they stepped outside where the others waited by the Feliner, the Thundercat's space ship. Lion-O saw Tygra standing bent over slightly with his hands on his hips in a heated argument with Snarf who was bouncing on his tail and flailing his arms around animatedly. As the two Thundercats drew closer they could hear what the two were arguing about.

"Look, Snarf," the tiger was saying. "For the last time you can't come with us. What do you think you'll be able to do on that planet? Besides you don't even _like_ Mumm-Ra."

"Neither do any of you," Snarf pointed out, making an annoyed face. "and you're all going to get him back!"

"What's going on here?" Lion-O asked.

Tygra looked over at Lion and explained. "Snarf still thinks he's coming with us," he answered. "I was trying to explain to him why he can't come but he won't budge."

"I'm not going to budge!" Snarf shot back.

Tygra looked helplessly at the Lord of the Thundercats. "Lion-O please reason with Snarf," he pleaded. "Maybe you can talk some sense into him."

"No need for that," Lion-O said right away. "I already decided." he looked at Snarf. "You can come with us."

"What!?" Tygra exclaimed.

Cheetara also looked surprised. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes," he told her. "Snarf can go if he promises not to get into any trouble. We're going there to get Mumm-Ra and bring him back to Third Earth. That's all."

Snarf jumped up excitedly. "I promise, Lion-O! You can count on me!" he then rushed past the other Thundercats and into the Feliner.

Lion-O saw that everyone whom he'd chosen to go on the mission were there and they were waiting for him to give them the word. "All right, everybody," he said. "Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Leaving Third Earth wound up being delayed for a few hours because Lion-o had to take a few moments to give further instructions to the Thundercats who would remain on the planet. Lynx-O, the blind elder Thundercat listened to the Thundercat Lord's instructions carefully as Bengali kept an eye on the twins to ensure they didn't try sneaking onto the Feliner space ship.

"Remember," Lion-O was saying to the older Thunderian. "The Mutants and Lunatak's might decide because Mumm-Ra is no longer here that they can freely move in and become a bigger threat than they already are. As bad as Mumm-Ra is, he at least kept them in check. I am hoping that they don't figure out that most of us, as well as he are not on the planet."

"Don't worry, Lion-O," the blind Thundercat told him. "We will be on full alert. When you come back I can assure you that everything will be just like it was when you left."

Lion-O put his hand on his shoulder. "I have full confidence that that will be the case when we come back." Though inwardly he was worried that it might not be, he didn't tell Lynx-O that though.

Lynx-O nodded. "Good luck, Lion-O, and safe traveling."

"Thanks," the Thundercat turned to join the others inside the Feliner ship. "See you when we get back."

The Lord of the Thundercats climbed into the ship and Panthro and Tygra who were seated at the controls started the engines and took off into the air. Below Lynx-O, Bengali, and the twins waved after the ship until it was out of sight. Once it was Lynx-O turned to the remaining Thundercats and said. "All right, let's get to work."

* * *

After the hunter from the planet Eris had gloatingly shown Mumm-Ra his sarcophagus they had seemed to lose interest in him as they had returned to the control room of the ship and left him alone, restrained in the back of the ship. They had left the coffin in plain sight as well, knowing full well he had no way of getting to it and leaving him with a somewhat hopeless feeling. It didn't help that he was beginning to feel the affects of his power growing dangerously low. No, he wouldn't die but he wouldn't have much energy either. He would rather not be left in such a state ever again. It was bad enough it had happened to him before after trying to use the Star of Thundera, it would be worse this time, especially because he sense the direction between him being out of it and returning would be much longer.

He stared at his sarcophagus longingly. He had to get inside of it and fast! He just needed to figure out a way to get free so he could get over to it, and that was something he was having a hard time coming up with a solution for. Mumm-Ra looked around himself at everything in the room. Maybe he could-

Pain went up his arm and he winced, gritting his teeth and holding back a cry. He turned his head, looking at his right arm where the pain had come from. He saw what looked like an ugly red vein running up his arm. What in the world was this? Was this strange device holding him prisoner doing something else to him now?

 _Bzzzzt!_

"AHHHHHH!"

A horrible electrical sensation coursed through him, nearly knocking him unconscious but it only lasted for a moment before fading out and he slumped forward, breathing heavily. He turned his head, glancing at the bonds again. They seemed to have some kind of mental connection with his thoughts, as if they could somehow pick up on them and act accordingly. Basically punishing him for even considering escape.

What kind of _messed up_ technology did these people have if they were so advanced that their machinescould react to thoughts!?

He lifted his head, straightening back up and eying his bonds, thoughtfully. There had to be a way to get them off without triggering them to respond. But he was having a hard time figuring out how to do it without triggering the shock device. If he even thought of using anything to free himself he would be harmed, if he tried to pull free it would tighten, and if he tried to use magic this thing would drain him.

It seemed to be an impossible task but he wasn't willing to give up just yet.

Mumm-Ra noticed the control panel for his bonds was too far out of reach for him to even kick it with his foot but that wasn't the option he was considering just then. He knew if he thought about it too much he would be harmed and using magic would just be siphoned but he wondered. What if he did both things at once? He just had to concentrate on using magic while withstanding the punishment for the thought. The two things might just cancel each other out and give him a chance, even if it were really slim to break free.

Maybe this device wasn't as powerful as he first thought and the reason it reacted to thought was to prevent him from figuring it its weaknesses.

It might not work but he was willing to try it anyway.

Being cautious to keep his mind as blank as possible, Mumm-Ra took a moment steel himself for the coming punishment then gritting his teeth, he began to concentrate all of his energy. The tips of his fingers started to glow a faint red and just as the bonds would have siphoned it off he let his mind fill with thoughts of breaking free. The restraints function changed slightly, sending a horrible jolt through him that nearly knocked him unconscious. But he fought it, his eyes flaring bright red as he forced his powers into his right hand and, just when he couldn't stand it anymore, let them loose, the energy flashing from his hand and smashing into the control panel.

The control's shorted out, powering down with a dying whine, smoke rising from the ruined machine. When this happened the horrible agony jolting through him ceased the same instant that the restraints deactivated, releasing him. The mummy slumped to the floor, landing on his hands and knees.

He stayed there a moment, trying to collect himself. Pulling that little stunt had taken a lot out of him. He lifted his head, his eyes falling on his sarcophagus which was resting on the wall opposigte of him. If he could just get in there and rest he could get enough power to blast his captor to kingdom come and he could then return to Third Earth.

Mumm-Ra waited a moment to regain enough energy to stand and pushed himself up, getting unsteadily to his feet. He stood for a moment, his whole body shaking then took a step toward it. Suddenly his vision swam before him and he felt light headed, stumbling forward. He put out his hand in an attempt to grasp onto something to stabilize himself.

Unfortunately his hand missed and he fell forward. His outstretched hand did break his fall but only briefly. It collapsed under his weight and he crashed face first onto the floor. Then he lay there, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Raising his head he stared across the room at his sarcophagus. So close and yet so far. He had to get to it. He just had to.

He started to crawl toward it.

Mumm-Ra hadn't gotten very far when suddenly something was in his way, blocking his progress. He raised his head, staring up at the hunter who stood over him, their hands on their hips. _Oh no_.

"Going somewhere, Mummy?"

* * *

As the planet of Third Earth slowly turned into a small ball in the ship's monitors, the Thundercats inside began to turn their conversion back to the task at hand. Lion-O had told the other's what Jaga had told him about the planet they were heading to and the people. He was sure to stress the details of how they ran their world and daily lives.

"I think I remember reading a bit about Eris a long time ago on Thundera," Panthro said, thoughtfully. "and from what I learned Jaga's description of the beings there and how they work was spot on."

"If these beings _are_ as Jaga describes them then how will we be able to get Mumm-Ra back?" Cheetara wanted to know. "They sound very unpredictable and I don't think trying to reason with them is going to work."

"We don't _have_ to reason with them," Tygra told her. "All we have to do is avoid them."

"Sounds easier said than done," Pumyra spoke up, who until then hadn't said anything. "Avoiding them could be next to impossible, any moment they could decide to turn and spot us..."

"We will just have to be careful and on alert," Lion-O told the other cats. "If the planet is chaotic even in the architecture, it could actually work to our advantage."

Snarf, who was seated by the Lord of the Thundercats sighed. "It all feels like a lot of trouble just to rescue someone as awful as Mumm-Ra," he remarked. "Why don't we just forget the whole thing and let them keep him? Third Earth will be better off without him."

The other Thundercats nodded in agreement with Snarf which meant Lion-O had to once more remind them why they weren't going to do that. "You know what Jaga and the Ancient Spirits said," he reminded them. "If we let them have him, we're all in danger."

"But why?" Pumyra wanted to know. "We keep being told if they use his power the whole universe will be in danger but we don't know how they will do this. If what you said you saw in his cauldron at the pyramid is true he isn't going to willingly go along with this."

"I don't think he'll have much of a _choice_ ," Tygra answered her. "If they have the technology to actually capture him they will _also_ have the know how to force him to do what they want."

"We don't have any proof of that," Snarf cut in stubbornly. He folded his arms and made a face. "I'm tell you this is all just a waste of time. Those spirits were most likely lying."

"Was _Jaga_ lying too?" Lion-O shot back, irritably. "He _did_ confirm their words after all."

"How do you even know it was the _real_ Jaga and not a fake?" Snarf was quick to question. "It could have been a figment created by the Ancient Spirits of Evil to trick you."

"No, it was really Jaga," he told him. "I could sense it was him."

"What about the time Mumm-Ra pretended to be Jaga and turned us against Lynx-O , Bengali and Pumtyra? You thought that was Jaga then too."

Lion-O was getting frustrated with Snarf's badgering. "Snarf," he said speaking carefully, as he was having a hard time not losing his temper. "This is not up for debate. The real Jaga spoke to me. The Ancient Spirits might have been able to create something to bring us to the Pyramid but they cannot imitate Jaga as Mumm-Ra is not here to pull it off." He stood up, holding the Sword of Omens out in front of himself. "If you don't believe me why not ask him _yourself_?"

Snarf frowned. "But only you can see him, Lion-O." he answered.

"That's right," he said. "Only I can see him and he _is_ the real Jaga and, if he's not, we will find out for ourselves once we reach Eris." he put the sword away. "So until then, I don't want to hear anymore about it and that goes for the rest of you as well." He looked at the other Thundercats. "One other thing; Just because Mumm-Ra has done horrible things to us in the past it doesn't mean we should just leave him there. I know that might sound foolish but this one time let's try to think of him as simply an innocent person in need and _not_ an enemy."

"That's going to take a lot of work, but we'll try," Panthro told him. He turned back to the controls. "Just don't expect us to be happy about it."

Lion-O chose not to respond to that because doing so might just cause another disagreement. As Panthro's words were met with silence, the other Thundercats, having seen the wisdom in letting the subject drop, chose to discuss other things among themselves. Doing so helped ease the tension in the ship and they all started to relax a little.

Except Lion-O who was not feeling very happy at his fellow Thundercats at the moment. He sensed that they probably agreed with Snarf's words that maybe the Jaga he'd spoken to _had_ been a fake, but chose not to continue that conversation. While he was grateful for that he didn't like the fact that they all seemed to be questioning it.

 _I_ _ **know**_ _it was you, Jaga_ , he thought, looking down at the Sword of Omens. _But how am I going to prove it to the others? Please give me an answer._

 _Patience, Lion-O, they will come to terms with the truth in time._ Lion-O looked up, hearing the voice of his mentor. The Thundercat Elder had appeared before him once more. _Once they reach Eris and are faced with the reality of the situation they will no longer feel the way they do. Don't be angry with them, Lion-o. They have a right to feel the way they do. Remember; Mumm-Ra has done many things to destroy you but, as you pointed out, he needs help. This is the one time he is no longer the enemy, and you will all realize this very soon._

"But Jaga-"

Jaga had once more disappeared.

Lion-O sighed, realizing Jaga wasn't going to tell him anymore than he already had. He sat back, closing his eyes and going over what his mentor had said. He knew the older Thunderian was right, he really shouldn't be mad at the others for feeling th way they did about the whole thing. He felt the same way, the only thing that had changed his mind about even going after the mummy was learning what would happen if they didn't. If anything; he and the others _weren't_ going to help Mumm-Ra at all, they were just trying to prevent the destruction of the universe and he was perfectly content with that.

"Lion-O?"

"What is it, Snarf?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking down at the red and yellow creature.

"What if they _are_ right?" he asked.

The question surprised Lion-O especially since Snarf had just been arguing with him that the Spirits were lying and Jaga's visit had been a trick. Maybe he'd taken some time to consider the alternative?

"I mean what if these creatures _do_ have some kind of device that can destroy the universe?" he continued. "How will we be able to stop them? I mean even if we do get Mumm-Ra back how can we be sure they won't just try to get him back?"

The Lord of the Thundercats could only shake his head as he tried to think of a good answer. "I don't know, Snarf," he finally admitted. "But we'll think of something." he put his arm around his old friend and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. We're Thundercats, we always pull through in the end."

But Snarf's question left him wondering. What if they _couldn't_ this time? What if this time they were going into something that was over their heads?

Lion-O tried to push the questions away. It was too late for doubts now. He'd made his decision and they _were_ going to come out victorious or die trying.

* * *

Mumm-Ra was in trouble. He'd been so focused on getting to his sarcophagus that he'd completely forgotten about the hunter. Now they stood over him, blocking his way and he had no way of getting past them in the weakened state he was currently in. But he had to do something. he couldn't just lay there looking up at them like some kind of groveling servant! He needed to _move!_

 _Come on, don't just lay there like a doormat! Move!_

But his body wasn't cooperating.

The hunter seemed to sense this and knelt down, invading his space. They grinned at him, sharp needle teeth gleaming white. "What exactly did you expect to gain by this little stunt?" they asked him. "Did you think you were going to climb inside your stone death bed and charge up enough to blast me? If my information is right you would not have had enough time to pull off such a foolish plan."

They reached behind him, grabbing him by the back of the hood, and stood, dragging him up as they did. Mumm-Ra hung from the hunter's grip, at least four inches shorter than them, in his standard form. "But if you're so intend on sleeping I can remedy that for you."

He grabbed their arm with his free hand, gripping it in a hold that proved to be rather strong for someone in his condition and current power level. His red eyes glowed dangerously as his anger started to rise up once more. "Your plans for me won't succeed," he growled. "Don't think it will. I _will_ get out of this, I promise you. You and your kind will not be able to hold me forever."

The hunter smiled at him, amused. "Maybe I would believe you," they said. "If it wasn't for the fact that _nobody_ will _ever_ come to your rescue." They yanked their arm free from his grip, so they could pull something out of their utility belt. "Oh no, mummy. This will be your future from here on out. I think it's about time you merely accept it."

"No."

They smiled. "I'll let you sleep on it, then."

The hunter jammed something into his neck which sent a rather powerful jolt through him that instantly knocked him unconscious. They then released him, allowing him to fall limply to the floor at their feet. They then knelt down and places manacles on his wrists and ankles, knowing they would work just a swell as the machine he'd been attached to before, which he'd broken and couldn't be fixed until returning to the planet.

Once finished the hunter stood back up, then turned and headed out of the room. "Sweet dreams, mummy."

A/N

 _I don't know why but I am tempted to do a minor sub-plot involving the Third Earthbound Thundercats and the Mutants and or Lunataks but I am not sure if that would be a good idea. It might just come off as padding._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Chasing Shadows

Panthro sat at the controls of the ship, his eyes focused on the vast void of space which lay before him. He had chosen to stay at the controls instead of putting the ship on autopilot while the others had chosen to move further into the ship to rest. He'd explained himself when Lion-O had asked him about it, informing him that they just might catch up with the ship holding Mumm-Ra. "If we do, we might be able to get him back without having to go to Eris at all," he'd said.

The Lord of the Thundercats saw the wisdom in that and hadn't questioned him further, merely wishing him good luck before he left the control room to get some sleep.

So Panthro was seated at the controls, staring out at the vast void of space and allowing himself a moment to think about the situation the Thundercats had gotten themselves into.

He considered how desperate the Ancient Spirits had been to get Mumm-Ra back and then Lion-O's claims that Jaga had told them the same thing. He sat back in his chair, thinking about that for a moment then typed in a command on the console. A file, one of many he and Tygra had salvaged from the old ship, appeared on the screen and he opened it, reading out the information carefully. As he did his eyes grew wider and wider and by the time he finished he closed the file with shaking hands.

The panther Thundercat turned away from the screen, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. "I can't believe it," he said to himself. "I just can't believe it. Nobody could be that insane..."

Panthro would have spent the next further hours thinking over what he'd learned but something on the ship's screen had caught his attention. "Now, I wonder what that is?" he said to himself, commanding the ship to move in for a closer look.

* * *

Slithe, the leader of the Mutants residing on Third Earth, had been summoned to Mumm-Ra's pyramid the day before the hunter had paid their own visit. He hadn't had the time to go at the time due to having to take care of more important matters and the mummy had agreed to speak with him once he was finished. Now that the lizard mutant had finished his own business he'd taken the nose-diver and headed off for his meeting with the undead wizard.

After he'd touched down the machine on the sands outside of the pyramid and disembarked, he'd suddenly been hit with a case of the shivers. He looked around himself, noticing the four obelisks resting outside of the black pyramid were lit up with electrical sparks. He stared at them a moment then headed into the pyramid, feeling uneasy. Mumm-Ra's pyramid hadn't often always made him feel that way, at first it had seemed very inviting but that had changed a long time ago and he often wondered how the old bag of bones could even stand living in such a dreary place.

"Mumm-Ra?" he said as he stepped cautiously into the central burial chamber of the structure. "I'm here, Mumm-ra, what did you-" he stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of the condition of the large room.

The lizard mutant took in the broken statues and other disarray of the place. That alone left him wondering what in the world had happened, but what really gave him pause was the fact that Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus was missing.

Confused, he walked around the ruined statues and to the smaller skull like structure resting on the back wall for a closer look. Once there he looked it over, noticing the spots in the stone floor where the coffin would have rested. In those spots he noticed that the metal that kept the coffin in place so it wouldn't fall over had been severed, as if it had been yanked out. Along with that he also noticed a strange looking object laying near one of the ruined statues and had walked away from the sarcophagus' resting place to get a better look. He picked up an object covered in strange looing symbols.

"Hmmm..." he said, putting his hand on his chin. Very suspicious.

Slithe might have lingered longer but he suddenly noticed the eyes on the Ancient Spirits' Statues, even the ones on the floor suddenly lighting up and the cauldron started to bubble. Along with this he heard what sounded like unearthly moaning. Thoroughly freaked out and still clutching the mystery object, he took off out of the room and back through the corridor toward the nose-diver.

The Ancient Spirits had creeped him out since he'd heard them speak once and this time was no exception. No way was he staying in there any longer, because who knew what they would do to him if he did? He exited the pyramid and boarded his machine, activating it and flying away from the pyramid without looking back.

* * *

The Erisian hunter sat in the control room of their ship, their eyes on the monitors when an alarm went off. They turned their attention to the monitor showing feedback from the cameras on the back of the ship and spotted something coming toward them. Magnifying the image gave them a better look at the thing. They could make out what looked like a somewhat feline shaped craft coming making a beeline for them at a pretty decent pace.

Frowning, the hunter zoomed in on it further, noticing a rather familiar emblem resting on it. A panther head resting on a red circular background. They gritted their teeth in anger.

 _Thundercats._

Thinking quickly, they typed out a command, activating the cloaking devise. That should get them off their tail, but just to be sure...

The Hunter typed out another command, sitting back as the ship started to move around to behind the other ship. They glanced over at Mumm-Ra, still unconscious, slumped in the copilot seat where they could keep a better eye on him.

 _They must be after you, though for the life of me I can't figure out how they found out or why they would even bother_. They looked back at the screen as the ship fell in line behind the other ship _. But either way I am going to make sure they don't succeed in their mission._

* * *

Panthro had been closing in on the ship when it had suddenly disappeared from view. He stared for a moment then rubbed his eyes before looking back again. Nothing was there.

 _That's funny. I thought for sure I saw something-_

He was nearly knocked out of his seat when something hit the ship from behind.

"What on Thundera was _that_?!" he exclaimed, hitting a button and turning on the rear mounted cameras. Hopefully he could see what had hit him.

But there was nothing. Just the vast void of space and stars in the distance.

Panthro frowned, wondering what had hit the ship.

 _There's something I'm not seeing here._

He pressed some buttons on the control console. An image appeared on the screen, coming in in reds, yellows, and oranges, as the thermal imagining picked up the heat signature of the other ship. Just as the image came in he was once more hit by something which this time he could see was the hull of the other ship, ramming into the Feliner from above.

Panthro was nearly knocked out of his seat when the two ships impacted but he held on, hitting a button which activated the thrusters. The Feliner thrust forward, away from the ship and he hit the controls, making it turn quickly to face the other ship. But to his surprise he found himself not just faced with one ship but a full _fleet_ of them.

The Thundercat's eyes widened in surprise. "What the-"

All the ships began to fire at him which gave him no other choice but to use evasive action. When he turned the ship around again all the ships but one had vanished. His eyes widened and he had to wipe his eyes and look again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

No, there was only one ship and it was flying right toward him, now blasting away with laser fire.

"Whoa!" he quickly maneuvered the ship to avoid the onslaught. "If it's a fire fight you want it's a fire fight you're going to get." Hitting some keys the ship's guns started firing back at the other ship.

* * *

Th Hunter frowned, seeing the ship had avoided their firepower and hadn't seemed too affected by the use of multiple holograms, was now firing back. They hit the controls, making the ship go invisible again.

"Let's see you try to hit me _now,_ Thundrian."

* * *

The ship vanished before Panthro's very eyes but this time he wasn't taken by surprise by it. "Oh no, you're not pulling the wools over this cat's eyes _twice_ ," he said, hitting the button that activated the thermals. The ship's heat signature appeared on the screen and the Thundercat smiled. "Bingo."

* * *

 _ **BANG!**_

The blasts from the Thundercat ship made contact with the hunter's, nearly knocking the whole machine out of control. The hunter managed to keep the ship steady but the blows nearly knocked their cargo onto the floor. The hunter swore, reaching over to shove Mumm-Ra back into his seat. Luckily for them they'd remembered to strap him in otherwise he would have been sent flying clear across the ship.

Just as they did this the ship was hit again by another blast, making the entire machine shake. They hit another button on the control panel, activating the shield, but they knew that wouldn't last long. They turned back to the screen, seeing the other ship come flying right toward them.

The Hunter swore again. This was the last thing they needed right now. The Erisian instantly regretted even choosing to fire at the other ship. Now they wouldn't be able to lose them.

 _I_ have _to,_ the hunter thought, gritting their teeth and glaring out at the Thunderian ship. _But how? They can see me even cloaked and they will blast me out of existence if I continue to fight with them._

The hunter hit more keys and their ship flew right over the Feliner. This did nothing because the other ship spun around and flew after them and their ship seemed to be just as fast as the Erisian ship. There was no way they were going to lose it.

Unless...

The hunter glanced over at Mumm-Ra, an idea starting to form in their head. They wrote out a command on the console and an image of a planet appeared on a smaller monitor. Maybe they could do a test run, and actually put all of that evil power to good use.

Hitting some more command's the co-pilot chair started to light up. The hunter looked over at it with a frown. Erisian ship's seats were set up that if they were out of options they could use their own life force to either escape a threat or ensure they and the threat went out together. Since the hunter had no desire to end their life there and then because they were so close to finishing their mission they had to try something else.

Hopefully Third Earthling evil wizard power would be just as good.

 _It should, it's energy is nearly identical to Erisian life force._ They grabbed a lever on the control panel and started to pull it upward. _All right, Mummy, it's time you got us out of here._

Then, without further hesitation, they yanked the lever all the way up. The pilot seat lite up a sickly red color then there was a flash of light an instant before the undead sorcerer lit up like a roman candle.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The Hunter glanced at him when he started screaming but he still seemed out of it even as red sparks shot from his body, so they didn't let it bothered them too much. They turned their attention back to the other ship, keeping their eye on it.

"Come on, mummy, just a little more," they said, pressing a button. "I'll ease off when you get this done. Just a few more seconds."

That instant the entire ship turned into a ball of solid energy. The Hunter smiled. Perfect. They hit the button for warp speed.

 _Eris, here we come. So long, Thundercats._

* * *

Panthro had been just about to overtake the other ship when it suddenly became nothing but a ball of light an instant before it completely vanished.

"What the?" The Thunderian checked the monitors and the thermals to see if the ship had cloaked itself again but he found nothing.

The ship was gone.

Just then the other Thundercats, who had been awakened by the sound of a battle and had been knocked rather rudely out of their beds came rushing into the control room.

"What happened, Panthro?" Lion-O asked him. "Cheetara's sixth sense picked up something and then we heard all of this noise and got knocked onto the floor."

The panther Thundercat looked back at the space. "I don't know," he said. "I was attacked by another ship."

"Another ship?" the Thundercat Lord asked as he helped Cheetera who was holding her head in pain into a chair.

The panther nodded. "Yeah, a real strange looking machine," he said, describing it."It looked like whoever had built it put it together with their eyes closed. It started to fire at me so I fired back and then I chased after it and it suddenly disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Tygra asked. "How is that possible? Ar you sure they didn't just cloak themselves."

"I don't know but whatever they used to do it, they're not showing up on the thermals and I don't think it's a cloaking device because they were using that before." he looked at the other cats. "I think it might have had some kind of teleportation device."

"Maybe I can help you find it," Lion-O suggested, picking up the Sword of Omens. "Let's see if we still pick it up."

But when he used the sword he saw nothing, nothing but a large curtain of red.

"That's funny," he said, lowering the sword. "Something is blocking the Sword of Omens."

"But how?" Pumyra asked him.

"I don't know," he said, putting the sword back into the claw shield. "But wherever it went I don't think we'll be able to catch it any time soon, though I have a hunch where it probably went."

"Where is that, Lion-O?" Cheetara asked, looking up at him.

He looked out at the vast void of space. "The chaos planet of Eris."

* * *

The Hunter's ship appeared in space in orbit of the planet Eris. For a moment the hunter stayed put in the pilot seat, their head resting on the control panel as they collected themself. That had been _too_ close.

The Erisian looked over at Mumm-Ra., still unaware of the world around him but looking miserable anyway "At least I know you _can_ be used for something besides causing me trouble," they said. "My superiors will be happy to hear that."

The hunter straightened up in the chair and pressed some buttons on the control panel, zeroing in on a ship landing pad on the planet. Once the command was in the hunter leaned back in their chair, allowing themself to just sit and breathe for awhile.

Pretty soon they would be back home on their planet and the mummy would no longer be their responsibility. They were looking forward to that. He was just more _trouble_ than he was worth.

Within ten minutes the hunter's ship was touching down on the landing pad outside of the planet's High Council building. As they powered the ship down and stepped onto the landing pad they were greeted by a few other Erisians. One, the larger Erisian they had contacted earlier, and two shorter ones.

The larger one looked surprised to see the hunter there so early. It had not been forty eight hours. "How are you here so soon, Irisi?" he asked them. "I thought you said it would take forty eight hours. It has only been less than twenty four."

Irisi, as the hunter had been addressed, explained. "I ran into some trouble and I had to pull a desperate move," they shrugged. "But you'll be happy to know, Culdor, our little power source in there can do exactly what we thought he could."

Culdor frowned. "Irisi, you didn't have to use _his_ power did you?"

Irisi stared at him, daring the other Erisian to get them heat about it. "I had no choice," they defended themself. "I was attacked by a Thunderian ship and I had only two alternatives; die in battle or complete my mission." They gave him a knowing look. "I _know_ you wouldn't have wanted to lose something as important as him so I did what I had to. You don't have to worry about him though, seeing as he can't die anyway." the hunter smiled."'Not _here_ that is."

Culdor shook his head. "Irisi, I will never be able to understand you."

"I'm an Erisian," they pointed out. "Understanding one another is not part of our upbringing." they turned their head as the two smaller Erisians came out of the ship, carrying Mumm-Ra between them on a shield of light. "Careful with that."

"I don't see why you're so concerned about the mummy all of a sudden," Culdor remarked as the duo passed by them. "After what _you've_ done to him so far."

The hunter smiled once more. "Don't let that concern you," they remarked uncaringly. "He can regenerate himself after all and he's not going to die either. I made sure of that by bringing his sarcophagus along. If he runs too low on power just put him into it for awhile and he'll get it back, just don't leave him inside it too long."

Culdor looked back toward the two smaller Erisians who had paused to wait for further orders. He glanced at Irisi before saying to the duo. "Take him to a holding cell for now. We'll work on out the synchronization process later."

As the two Erisians went into the building he looked back at the hunter. They smiled at him, looking rather gleeful. "Come on, Miss Vaylong," Culdor said. "Let's head inside and work out your pay."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Discorded Notes

 _Mumm-Ra..._

The voices of the Ancient Spirits of Evil were talking to the wizard in his dreams. Dreams full of blood and darkness.

 _Mumm-Ra, you have failed us._

"No, there was nothing I could do." he tried to argue back. "It wasn't my fault."

 _It_ was _your fault! You let your guard down and now look where you are? Far from Third Earth where you will be kept for all of eternity._

"No! Please don't leave me here!"

 _There is nothing we can do for you, Mumm-Ra. You are on your own now. If you desire to return to Third Earth you will have to figure out how to get there by yourself._

"But how?"

The spirits didn't give him an answer, they had gone silent.

"No, Spirits, don't leave me!"

Suddenly the dark world around him was lit up by a glow from below him. He looked down just in time to see a fireball rise up and consume him...

Mumm-Ra's eyes opened as he woke from the nightmare, the red color orbs taking in a dark brown ceiling above him. Confused he sat up, looking around himself.

He wasn't on the hunter's ship anymore but inside a rather bland colored room with blank gray walls and small window to his right. On the wall to his left was a metal door with a small set of three windows near the top.

He had no idea where he was.

Wait, he looked toward the window and carefully got up, stumbling slightly before reaching it and, grasping the window sill, looking out. What he saw made him jerk back a little. The planet that stretched out before him looked like a total mess with buildings of odd shapes and sized jutting upward to pierce the pinkish yellow skies. From what little he could see of the creatures of the planet they seemed to have similar appearances to the hunter who'd taken him from Third Earth. These beings, like that one, had angular features, sharply pointed ears and chaotic hair.

As he stared down one of the creatures looked up toward him and their eyes met. This one pointed toward the window and more of them looked up, their eyes white and soulless. As one they all pointed and then smiled, showing off nasty sharp teeth before they began chattering in their strange language. He had no idea what they were saying but something told him it had to do with him and it wasn't anything good.

Unsettled by this, he backed away from the window, tripping over his own feet and falling onto his back. Groaning, he sat up, rubbing his back and wincing. Why did he have to get so unsteady on his feet when he started to get low on power?

Just then he heard footsteps outside of the room and looked over his shoulder toward the door. There were voices on the other side, speaking frantically, though he could not make heads or tails of what was being said. All that he knew was whatever it was it was about him and he wasn't going to like it.

* * *

"I am telling you, he _isn't_ there!" Slithe insisted. "Even his sarcophagus is missing!"

"Come on, Slithe, you can't expect us to believe he has completely left his pyramid," the Mutant Jackalman shot back. "Where would he go?"

"I don't know," Slithe said. "But he's gone."

Slithe had returned to Castle Plun-Darr after leaving the Black Pyramid and had told his fellow mutants Monkian and Jackalman about Mumm-Ra's strange disappearance and the condition of the pyramid. The other two had listened to his story but it was easy to see that they didn't believe him.

"Maybe he's just trying to trick us?" Monkian told Slithe. "He could have used his magic to make his pyramid look like it was trashed but for real it's just fine and he wants us to believe he's gone."

"Now why would he want to do that?" the lizard Mutant demanded. "He could be trying to trick us into trying to gain control of the planet so he can do something nasty if we do, yess?"

Jackalman and Monkian stared at Slithe for a moment before bursting out laughing. Slithe on the other hand didn't see anything funny about his statement but instead of yelling at them about it he said. "That's _not_ what he did and this proves it." he held out the object he had found.

The other two mutants stopped laughing and stared at the object in his hang before Jackalman suddenly freaked out. "Ahhh! It's them!"

"Them _who?"_ Monkian asked, confused by the other mutant's reaction.

Slithe was also interested in Jackalman's reaction. The scrawny coward never seemed to be one who knew anything about things. Seemed he had underestimated his mutant fellow. "Yes, Jackleman, who?" he pressed him.

But Jackalman didn't look like he wanted to say anything about it, turning tail and running out of the room. The other two mutants looked at each other for a moment before rushing after him. "Get back here, Jackalman, yesss?"

"No!" he called back over his shoulder. "I'm not going to tell you, even if you do catch me, and you can't make me!"

"We will catch you!" the lizard promised him as he and Monkian chased the other mutant through the castle. "and you will tell us even if we have to beat the information out of you!"

Jackalman only ran faster at the threat, charging to the entrance of the castle, intent on escaping outside of the building and from the other two Mutants. Or that was the _plan_ anyway, too bad he wasn't able to fulfill it because just as he reached the door he was yanked to the ground by his fellow mutants who had tackled him.

"No!" he yelled, trying to get free. "Noooo!"

"Hold still, Jackalman!" Slithe shouted, grabbing his arms and trying to yank them behind him.

"Yeah," Monkian spoke up, grabbing the jackal mutant's legs. "You're only making things worse for yourself by fighting."

"Let me goooo!" he wailed, flailing around.

The two mutants didn't listen and within a couple of seconds they had him pinned to the floor and immobile. Then he just laid there crying like a puppy. The other two looked at each other then down at him.

"Come on now Jackalman, stop your blubbering," Slithe chastised him. "You brought this on yourself, yess?"

"You don't _understand_ ," Jackalman whined.

"I will if you start talking," Slithe snapped. "Now spill it, scavenger!"

"Yeah!" Monkian agreed. "Tell us what you know!"

Jackalman realized that he really didn't have a choice in the matter. "All right," he said in defeat. "I'll tell you..."

* * *

The voices had moved away from the door without even opening it, leaving Mumm-Ra alone once more. This was good because now he could give himself some time to think and plan a away out of there and maybe even find his sarcophagus. Speaking of which, he looked down at his hands, realizing they were shaking badly. He had been out of it for way too long now.

 _I have to get out of here_ , he thought, clenching his hands into fists to stop the taking _. I need my sarcophagus._

Mumm-Ra looked at the door once more before pushing himself up off the floor. He was pretty weak though and nearly fell over but he managed to keep his balance and stumble over to it. Grabbing the knob he tried to turn it only find discover it was locked.

Figures, he should have known they would lock the door to prevent him from making an escape. If he wanted to get out of there he would have to figure out a way to get rid of the lock. Get rid of it or destroy it.

 _That would be so much easier if I wasn't so weak!_ he thought, releasing his grip on the handle, frustrated.

He moved away from the door, back to the place where he'd woken up just as he reached it he was overwhelmed by an unexplainable feeling. It was almost like something on this planet was pulling on him. Startled by this he pitched forward, having tripped over himself. He landed on his stomach, nearly breaking his face when it made contact with the stone floor.

When he tried to get back up he found he couldn't. It was like a huge hand was pressing down on him, making him immobile.

"What on Third Earth is going on?" he asked, looking up. His eyes widened at what he saw.

He wasn't sure if it was real or he was merely having a hallucination but he thought he saw what looked like energy being seeped from his body and right out through the wall.

"No..." he pushed himself back into a sitting position fighting the feeling of the weight on his back. He had to get out of there!

But how? The door was locked and he didn't have any power. If he didn't get out of there he knew those beings would come for him and when they did...

He didn't want to even think about what they planned on doing with him.

Turning his attention back to the locked door, he decided opening that was the only way out. He was going to have to try to get that lock off of the door so he could slip out. He did not know how to pick locks so he would have to use magic.

Hopefully he could conjure up enough to get rid of the lock.

Eyes locked on the door he raised his hand, focusing his powers into his extended index finger. The tip began to glow red and he released it. The energy released impacted with the door and exploded silently, breaking the lock and nearly knocking the door off of it's hinges.

He smiled in satisfaction, lowering his hand and head to rest a moment. That had taken quite a bit out of him. Once he caught his breath, he pushed himself up off the floor and headed toward the door, stumbling once but not falling. He regained his balance and moved as quickly as he could to the door.

He rested against the broken door for a moment, pushing the door open slightly and looking out. A long corridor stretched out before him. He looked one way then the other, listening carefully. He heard nothing and a wave of relief washed over him.

Good, nobody was there. He wouldn't have any chance like this again. Taking a deep breath he slipped out of the room and moved quickly down the hall without looking back.

Time to get out of there.

* * *

Getting to Eris would take awhile for the Feliner since the ship did not have a teleportation system like the ship that had attacked them had. After the Thundercats had questioned Panthro about what had happened and he'd given them all the information that he could the cats had all gone back into the inner part of the ship to sleep, including Panthro who had put the ship on Autopilot. As the other settled down to sleep Cheetera had found she could not.

She lay on her cot, staring at the ceiling, wide awake, her mind trying to work out a question she'd been mulling over since before the ship had been attacked. In feelings in her head had not been of Panthro being in trouble. What she'd felt, the pain and despair had been from somebody else.

If it had not been any of the Thundercats then whose feelings had she picked up on?!

Mumm-Ra?

No, way, there was no way she could have been picking yup his feelings. She tried to push the idea out of her head as absurd but it kept on coming back. What if she had picked them up from him? Should she tell the others? What would they say if she did? Would they laugh at the idea? Would they deny it and say she couldn't be feeling anything from him because of what he was and what he'd done in the past?

But Mumm-Ra is _not_ the enemy this time, she reminded herself. He's a person in need who needs our help. Maybe if that is the reason I might be picking up emotions from him? Because he is just like all the other people we have helped?

She mulled that over a little longer than concluded that that must be the case. If she was picking up feelings from him this could help them find him. She would just have to wait until her sixth sense picked up on it again.

Cheetara got out of bed and went over to a window, resting her hand on the glass as she looked out at the stars twinkling in the distance. _All right, Mumm-Ra, if you're going to send me your feelings then I accept them. Whether you're aware you're doing it or not doesn't matte, we'll use this to find you and bring you home._

That decided the Thunderian she-cat turned away from the window and returned to her bed. Closing her eyes she sighed, feeling somewhat better now that she'd accepted the burden. It wasn't long afterward that she'd fallen into a deep sleep.

* * *

Jackalman began his explanation, though he did so hesitantly. It was obvious he did not want to give out the information but he didn't have any other option. It didn't help the other two Mutants were sitting on him, either.

"I encountered them back when we were still living on Plun-Darr ," he began slowly. "I once encountered beings from a planet where chaos is the rule of life. They had attacked the ship I was in." he whimpered.

Slithe was in no mood for Jackalman's blubbering. "and?" he pressed him, poking him in the back of his head. "What happened then?"

"They came after us," he said. "and we were overwhelmed. We had no idea what their plan of attack was and when it happened we had no way of knowing where they would strike next. They had no real pattern. It was chaos."

"And they used one of _these_?" he demanded, poking him in the face with the object. "Yessss?"

The canine mutant nodded slowly.

"Is that it?" Monkian asked. "That's all they did and you felt you had to keep us from knowing that?"

"No, that's not it," Jackalman shot back, offended. "It was much worse than that. "That was just how it started, afterward things just got worse."

"How so?" Slithe challenged him.

Jackalman continued his story, going into rather gruesome detail about what the creatures did to him and the group of Mutants he'd been with. Some of the things he told them made the other two visibly uncomfortable, especially when he described how they had killed the rest of the crew.

When he began to rattle of the details about what the Erisians had done to the head of one of the mutants Slithe, looking greener than usual, cut him off. "Okay, you can stop now, I get the point."

But Monkian wanted to know something. "If they did that to the rest of the crew why didn't they do the same to you?"

Jackalman was a bit embarrassed to admit. "They didn't think I was worth killing. They said I was too weak and cowardly."

His answer made Monkian burst out laughing. "Well they _aren't_ wrong!"

Slithe wasn't so easily amused. "Stop your cackling, Monkian," he snapped. "If what Jackalman says about these beings is true you have to remember they have Mumm-Ra. Which means-"

"Then Mumm-Ra is in big trouble!" Monkian cut him off, suddenly realizing the weight of the situation.

Slithe nodded. "Which means Third Earth is going to be open to a new order."he smiled. "That could be us, yess?"

Monkian nodded, making excited noises. "Yeah! It could be us!"

"Exactly."

"This idea is good and all but," Jackalman said.

"Yeah?" Slithe asked, looking down at him.

"Can you two please get _off_ of me?!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Mumm-Ra moved carefully down the halls of the large Erisian building, cautiously moving from one part of it to another. So far he'd been lucky, as he had not been spotted by any Erisians yet and he intended to keep it that way. As he continued to make his way out of the place, he pushed the thoughts out of his mind on what would happen to him if he were discovered by any of the creatures on the planet. If what he'd learned about them was true, he would be torn to pieces or worse.

He shuddered. _No, thank you._ He liked being in one piece, even if it was a decayed bag of bones.

Hopefully he could get away before anyone found out he was missing from his cell, but before he could even think of escaping the planet he needed to find his sarcophagus. That was the first thing to take care of. Leaving was the second. But he was left to wonder, where would they put it and how could he go about finding it? The sarcophagus could be anywhere on the planet.

 _It must be in the building somewhere,_ he told himself. If he'd been put there that meant the hunter and whoever had hired them probably put his coffin somewhere else. He would just have to find it.

 _I hope to Osiris it's somewhere close._

Mumm-Ra moved on, his destination slightly altered, he became extra careful as he made his way down the hall. The only difference now was he had to keep one hand on the wall so he could maintain his balance. Moving was becoming more and more trying on his body as his time out of his sarcophagus extended.

As he moved along he was careful to be as quiet as possible. That wasn't too hard since the floor was covered in rather thick carpeting. He paused near a staircase, ducking behind the corner as he had heard voices coming toward him. There seemed to be two, a more masculine sounding one and a very familiar voice, that of that cursed hunter who'd brought him there. If he had been feeling better he would have gone after them but instead he stayed out of view, knowing making him presence known wouldn't do anything for him.

He waited until the voices faded away before moving on.

Mumm-Ra carefully proceeded down the staircase, aware of how steep it was. The stairs were so close together he wondered how these beings even managed to get up or down them without tripping and killing themselves. But then he realized that the beings on this planet had a screwed up system anyway so steep stairs was not even a big deal to them.

He eventually got to the bottom without incident and continued to move along, hoping the stone coffin was somewhere on the floor he was on. Sometimes he wished he could sense where it was but he'd never had any need for such things since his sarcophagus was always in one place at all times. Now he wished he could find it like that, especially now.

The lich continued, swearing under his breath and mentally cursing his rotten luck.

* * *

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Vultureman was doubled over, his head resting on the table and his fist thumping against it's surface as he laughed hysterically. "Oh this is so _good_! HAHAHAHAA!"

Slithe didn't see what was so funny about the whole thing. He and the other mutants had come to talk to the avian mutant, Jackalman retelling his story as Slithe had showed him the object he'd found. Vultureman had taken one look at it and had lost his mind, laughing like a maniac as he gripped the device in his left hand.

"I don't see what's so funny about this," Slithe snapped at him.

"You don't _understand!_ " Vultureman guffawed. "This is the best thing that could _ever_ happen!"

Slithe folded his arms, getting more annoyed. "Mind telling us how it's the best thing that has ever happened, Vultureman? Yesss?"

"The Erisians, as is the name of these creatures Jackalman described," Vultureman began, putting a hand on his hip and another in the air. "Are very well known among scientific circles for their very, let's just say, _illogical_ weaponry. They seem to be able to create things that work perfectly from incompatible hybridization of technology."

"Such as?" Slithe wanted to know, not having a clue what the other mutant was getting at.

"Such as combining science with magic," he explained. "Nobody knows how they do it but they have managed to. I have heard rumors that some of their technology is powered by _evil_."

"Powered by evil?" Monkian asked, scratching his head in confusion. "How can anybody use evil for power?"

"Yeah, technology doesn't _work_ that way," Slithe was quick to point out.

"I never said I knew how they did it," the vulture shot back. "I am just saying that I have heard rumors that they have done it and, if they _have_ managed to harness evil as a power source." the vulture grinned wickedly. "That would explain why they took Mumm-Ra."

The other Mutants still seemed to be having a hard time figuring out that one. The three looked at one another, somewhat unsure. "Huh?" Slithe finally said, looking back at Vultureman. "Why did they take him?"

Vultureman smacked his hand against his face, feeling as if he were surrounded by three of Plun-Dar's biggest idiots. "Do I need to spell it out to you in simple terms?" he asked. "The creatures called Erisians have taken Mumm-Ra to use him as a power source for one of their pieces of technology."

"Why take him though?" Monkian asked.

Vultureman sighed. "Because he's the most evil thing around," he responded, exasperated that he had to explain this to them again. "and he is _immortal_. As I said they have technology that harnesses its power from evil energy. His power is limitless and he can't die and if he does shrivel up or get destroyed he will just come back because as he said, as long as evil exists he will live forever." he held out the item to them again, feeling superior all of a sudden. "and if my hunch is correct he won't be coming back here. _Ever_. Which, as Slithe here said, gives us the perfect chance to take over Third Earth before anyone else even knows what's going on, not even those blasted Lunataks."

Slithe smirked. "That's exactly what I was thinking, yesss?" he remarked. "Just one thing I would like to know."

"Yeah?"

"How are you _so sure_ that Mumm-Ra won't be coming back?" he asked him. "In the past every time we have thought he was defeated for good he always manages to show up again. He could just pull that off this time too."

But Vultureman could only laugh at Slithe's questioning, as if the lizard mutant had asked him why do babies cry. "I can assure you Mumm-Ra won't be coming back. Erisians are known for being extremely ruthless and stubborn. If they want to keep him that is what they will do and not even _his_ powers will be able to prevent them from it." he held up the item once more. "He will not ever return to Third Earth. That is a promise."

* * *

Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus was close by, he could feel it. He'd managed to reach another floor without an incident when he'd suddenly felt something tugging at him. He paused a moment to consider it a moment then came to the conclusion that, whatever it was, it had to be his coffin. What else could it be?

Now that he knew what floor it was on he was going to find it.

But doing so was proving to be harder than it sounded. The halls on the floor seemed to go on forever and the corridors were as chaotic as the inside of an ant hill. If he had to look in every room to make sure the sarcophagus was somewhere inside them it would take him forever.

Mumm-Ra had no intention of doing this. He paused for a moment, one hand resting against the wall and the other grasping his chest as he rested and let himself think about his next course of action.

 _This should not take as long as it is_ , he told himself. _Don't bother looking each room, you can feel it pulling on you. Just rest a moment and then focus on that feeling. The stronger it gets the closer it means you are._

With that decided he moved on, allowing himself to be drawn by that pulling feeling.

As he moved he began to get the worst sense that he was being watched. He moved on though, thinking maybe he was just being paranoid. It would be a waste of time if he looked to see if anything was following him and nothing was there.

The feeling was getting stronger now. He wouldn't have very far to go until he reached his sarcophagus. If he could _rest_ inside it for awhile and regain some of his power escaping would be a breeze. While he was doing so he could always teach these Erisians a lesson for even _trying_ to think they had a right to come into his home and kidnap him to be used as a living battery. Who did they think they were anyway?

They would all regret ever thinking they could exploit his powers.

Mummy-Ra was getting very close to finding where he thought his sarcophagus was being kept when that feeling of being watched grew stronger. This time he stopped, glancing carefully over his shoulder. He saw nothing but the maze of a hall behind him, however he _felt_ something was there that he just couldn't see and they were close.

If he were attacked he wasn't sure if he'd be able to do anything about it in his weakened state but he wasn't going to just stand there and let whatever was stalking him have an easy time. He clenched his right hand into a fist, realizing he might just have to use that to fight with. He looked ahead again and continued moving, telling himself that if he pretended to be unaware whatever invisible being behind him would drop their guard and he could put up some kind of fight.

Mumm-Ra hadn't gotten much further when his ears picked up the sound of breathing behind him and then the faint sound of footsteps coming closer. A kind of sixth sense seemed to tell him something was flying toward him and ducked down, feeling air whoosh past him as he hit the floor. Something that sounded like a weapon charging could be heard behind him and out of instinct he rolled sideways. The floor where he'd been crouching only moments ago exploded.

If he hadn't moved when he had he would have been mulch or at least severely injured.

Mumm-Ra pushed himself up off the floor and took off down the hall, his sense of panic driving a new burst of energy through his body. He heard the sound of running footsteps behind him and looked over his shoulder, seeing what looked like heat waves making the air shimmer. Whatever was after him had themselves cloaked and he couldn't see what it was. That didn't matter anyway, what _did_ matter was getting away from it before it tried to shoot him again.

Since he had no way of fighting back due to how low his power was he had to keep running until his pursuer gave up or he collapsed. Hopefully the former happened before the latter. But he wasn't sure that would be the case as he was already tiring out and the person chasing him didn't show any signs of slowing. He could hear them breathing and they didn't sound like they were having a hard time with it.

He saw an open door just ahead at the end of the hall. If he could get there and close the door before his pursuer caught up with him he could prevent them from catching or killing him. He quickened his step with a sudden burst of energy and rushed inside the room, but just as he entered he stopped dead in his tracks and stared in utter shock at what he saw before him.

It was a large machine of some kind, black and red in color, with tubes and wires snaking out in all directions to some kind of control panel near the floor. Above that was a kind of glass chamber that left off angry black sparks. The monstrosity reached all the way up to the high ceiling where it seemed to pass right through.

Mumm-Ra could do nothing but stare at it with a mixture of utter horror and confusion _. What in the name of all the pharaohs is_ _ **that**_ _?!_

The sound of a door slamming behind him jarred him out of his thoughts and reminded him of why he'd even come in there. He spun around, turning to face whoever or whatever had chased him in there. The air before him shimmered and he could just barely make out the outline of a person. They were way too close to him and could shoot or grab him at any moment.

Mumm-Ra let out a surprised sound and backed away, his eyes darting around for anything he could use as a weapon. The air before him waved as he could see the cloaked figure approaching him.

"No!" he yelled at it. "Get away from me, phantom!"

The thing kept coming and he continued to back away. His foot landed on something on the floor that moved and he looked down spotting a metal rod that had been discarded. He looked back up when he heard what sounded like a weapon charging up and saw a red light light with a line aiming right for his head.

"No!" he yelled, moving faster than he ever had in his life. He grabbed up the rod off the floor and hit out with it. The long end making contact with whatever invisible thing was stalking him.

Whatever it was grunted in pain and he heard something hit the floor. While it was down he too no time hesitating and rushed away from it toward the door. He grabbed the knob in both hands and pulled only to discover that the door was locked. As he was allowing this fact to sink into his brain there was a buzzing sound behind him and then he felt something wrap around his neck.

Panicking, he let the doorknob go and grabbed at his throat, grasping a thin wire which had tangled around his next at least ten times. As he did so he was yanked backward off his feet. He landed on his back and was pulled backwards being reeled in like a fish on a line. Then he was staring up at the shimmering lines that suddenly gave way to a solid mass standing over him. He found himself looking into the face of the cursed bounty hunter who had brought him to Eris in the first place.

 _"You!"_ he exclaimed.

The hunter's white eyes locked with his glowing red ones. "Did you really think you'd be able to escape that easily without anybody noticing?" they asked. "If so, you're even more foolish than I first thought."

Mumm-Ra couldn't believe his rotten luck. He'd been doing so well and then everything had gone wrong. But maybe he could still get away. He gritted his teeth, trying to rip the cable around his neck apart as he glared hatefully at the hunter standing over him.

The hunter had no reaction to his death glare instead they pulled on the cable. It tightened around his neck and he started to feel like he was being strangled. He growled, yanking on the wire now to pull it away from his neck so he could breathe.

"Just give up on that," the hunter told him. "You're not going to break free from this."

His eyes centered back on them. As they stared down at him his eyes suddenly flashed a deeper red than normal and to the hunter's utter surprise he let out a roar of rage and _tore_ the cable from around his neck. Startled, they stepped back slightly as he got up from the floor and faced them.

"You're little toy isn't strong enough to hold _any_ prisoner," he told them, throwing the cable away. "I might be weakened right now but I am not that helpless as to be overpowered by a mere piece of string."

The hunter frowned, narrowing their eyes, and meeting his own. "I don't need to take you down with that," they said. "Because no matter what you do you will not be getting out of here. Your powers are too low for you to transform and in the form you have now, you are in no shape to fight your way out of here." the hunter gave him an evil smile.

Mumm-Ra didn't like the hunter's smile. What did they know that he didn't? Just as he was asking himself that question that pulling sensation he'd been feeling earlier that he'd contributed to his sarcophagus came back and it was stronger than it had before and now that he was able to take a moment to consider it, the feeling was coming from the strange device standing in the back of the room!

His eyes widened in shock at the realization. _What?!_

"You can feel it don't you?" they asked. The hunter waved at the machine. "All of your energy seeping from you _and into the device_."

Mumm-Ra stared at them as this all sunk in. No. No way! He backed away from the hunter and that awful device which he could now see was the reason for him seeing his power seeping out of him up in the cell! It had been pulled into that machine! Now that he let this sink in it all made perfect sense now.

He had to get out of there and fast!

No longer caring about the hunter standing in front of him the mummy spun around and rushed toward the door. He had to get out of there, even if he had to break the door down to do it! He just needed to escape!

"You're not going to get away that easily!"

The hunter rushed after him, throwing themself at him and tackling him to the ground.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Mumm-Ra hit the floor, hard, the hunter on his back and their arms wrapping tightly around him. When they put their knee in his spine and tried to pull his arms behind him his fight or flight response went into fight and he got an extra burst of adrenaline.

 _No! Not_ this _time!_

Growling he rolled himself over with enough force to knock the hunter off his back and onto the floor. They were taken completely by surprise and landed on their butt and while they were trying to let what just happened sink in, Mumm-Ra managed to get up off the floor and get on top of the hunter. He made a fist and angrily slugged the hunter in the face.

"You will _not_ humiliate me again!" he shouted, grabbing them by the throat. "Let's see how _you_ like being overpowered?!"

The hunter gritted their teeth, grabbing the arm grasping their throat. Did he really say that to them? In the state he was in?

Mumm-Ra obviously thought so and he set out to prove it by hitting the hunter in the face repeatedly, his eyes glowing with crimson fury. Surprisingly the blows hurt, especially when his sharp fingernails grazed their cheek and drew blood. The hunter eventually got tired of this and the next time he took a swing at them they grabbed his fist.

"I think that's enough of that now," they said through gritted teeth, yanking his arm to the side hard enough to make him cry out in pain. "Time for you to be a good little mummy and submit!"

"No!" he growled, still keeping a rather firm grip on the hunter's neck with his other hand. "I will not submit to you! You are not my master! I refuse to be reduced to a prisoner once more!"

The hunter smiled, once more showing their horrible needle like teeth. "You don't have much of a choice, Mummy."

They pushed them self off the ground, knocking Mumm-Ra off and off balance, enabling them to force him onto the ground and on his back. He still had a grip on their throat but now seemed too startled by this sudden shifting in domination to use it to his advantage. The hunter held him down now, grinning wickedly as they locked eyes with him.

"If I were you, I'd give up right now."

Mumm-Ra regathered himself quickly and, gritting his sharp teeth together, growled. "Never."

The hunter wasn't amused. "Fine, have it your way, then."

They reached up and yanked his hand from their throat, pulling it away and slamming it onto the floor, pinning him there with both of his arms held away from him. Mumm-Ra didn't just hold still while they did this, he started struggling, making a huge effort to break from the hunter's hold and get free. Even as the hunter held him down, he kicked at their stomach, his bare feet slamming hard into their gut only to do nothing.

The hunter just grinned at him, seemingly amused by his feeble attempts to get away from them. "You should just give up now," they told him. "You are weak and powerless. The more you fight me the more you will lose more and more of what little power you have left. It won't be long before you black out again."

They were right about one thing, he was getting weaker and to seemingly prove it found himself having to stop fighting. He lay there, breathing heavily, as the hunter held him down. Curse these creatures! Curse this wretched hunter! Curse his weakened state!

The hunter looked smug as they said while pinning him down. "Ready to go back to your cell now?"

No, he was not. He was ready to get off this planet and return to Third Earth. He didn't say that though since the hunter wouldn't care anyway. Instead he glared at them, a look of utter hatred on his withered face.

"Figured you wouldn't agree to that," the hunter said, yanking his arms toward them. They caught both of his wrists in one hand and reached toward their utility belt to take out something to restrain him with. "Though it would be in your best interest to do so."

Well they would have restrained him if he hadn't, out of desperation, quickly sat up and latch his teeth onto their arm, biting down hard enough to draw blood. The hunter, surprised, let out a cry of pain, jerking backward.

"Let go of me!" the hunter snapped at him.

The mummy growled at them, having no intent on releasing them. The hunter wound up letting go of his wrists as they attempted to pull free.

"Let go!" the hunter growled, placing their hand on the side of his head and pushing on it to attempt to dislodge his teeth. "I'm warning you! If you don't release me you're going to pay dearly!"

He was going to pay dearly no matter anyway so he hung on, even though his hands were now free. It wasn't that he wasn't going to let go eventually he just wanted to get a good chunk out of this disgusting creature before anyone actually stopped him. He wasn't going to be escaping any time soon anyway.

That was if the hunter had had enough. They pulled their free hand back, balled it into a fist and then cracked it hard against the lich's skull. He let out a yelp of pain as stars exploded before his eyes. The blow made him release his hold on the hunter's arm and he knelt down, his hands resting on the sides of his head.

While he was recovering the hunter made their move, getting behind him and wrapping an arm around his throat. They yanked him to his feet, pressing their arm into his neck even though doing so made him gag. He reached up with both hands to try to pry it away from his neck as he gritted his teeth.

"That, was a dumb move, Mummy," they hissed in his ear. "and now you're going to be punished for it." they smiled even though he couldn't see it. "You might want to close your eyes."

0000

* * *

Cheetara was suddenly overwhelmed by an intense pain. She cried out, grabbing her head and collapsing to the floor.

"Cheetara!" Tygra exclaimed, rushing over to kneel beside her as the other thundercats moved to also help her. The tiger helped her sit up. "What's wrong? Did your sixth sense pick up something?"

"Y-yes, I think so," she said, closing her eyes and holding her head. "It's Mumm-ra."

"Mumm-ra?" Tygra said in surprise. He looked up at the other Thundercats who all exchanged glances. Cheetara was picking up feelings from Mumm-Ra?! "You're picking up feelings from Mumm-Ra?"

"Yes," she said, lifting her head to look at the other thundercats. "I don't know why I'm picking up on what's happening to him, but that isn't important right now."

"Okay," Lion-O said to her, also kneeling down in front of her. "What are you picking up from him right now."

She closed her eyes again as she concentrated. "He's in pain. I don't know what's causing it but it's growing worse." she opened her eyes to look at the thundercat lord. "We have to get to Eris quickly, before they do something worse to him!"

Tygra looked up at Panthro who was seated at the controls. The panther thundercat said. "The ship is going as fast as it's able to," he told them both. "We won't reach Eris for another twelve hours." he looked really sorry that he had to give the other thundercats that information. "There's nothing I can do."

"It's ok," she said. She placed her hand on her forehead. "I don't feel anything now, but I don't think he's been killed. He's either unconscious or whatever was hurting him before isn't anymore."

"You going to be okay?" Lion-O asked her.

"I'll be fine," she told him. "I just need to lay down for awhile."

Pumyra got up and walked over to her. "Here, let me help you get to the sleeping quarters," she offered as Tygra helped the cheetah thundercat to her feet.

Cheetara smiled gratefully at the other female thundercats. "Thanks," she said. "I would appreciate that."

Then she with the help of Pumyra left the control room of the ship, allowing the male thundercats to discuss what had just happened.

Tygra was thinking about what Cheetara had said about her having a connection with Mumm-Ra and decided to remark to the others about it. He spoke in a thoughtful voice. "If Cheetara is able to pick up on whatever Mumm-Ra is feeling we might be able to use that to find him faster once we reach the planet."

"That's true," Lion-O agreed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But we have never been to the planet. Even if Cheetara picks up on any monuments on the planet we wouldn't be able to know where that is."

"But it's something," Tygra pointed out. "Because all we'd need to do is look around for that monument and continue on from there. It's better than what we have to go on now."

"True," Lion-o agreed. He looked in the direction the she-cats had gone. "But I wonder why Cheetara is even picking up on Mumm-Ra's feelings. I don't even think he is aware we're going after him."

"It's probably because he's somebody in trouble," Panthro suggested. "Remember when that one space ship came to Third Earth and she was linked to it?"

"But that was a space ship," Lion-O tried to argue. "Mumm-Ra is different."

"Does it matter?" Tygra asked him. "Like you said he's not aware we're coming to save him so whatever is allowing Cheetara to pick up on his feelings isn't coming from anything he is doing intentionally."

Lion-O nodded, though that really didn't answer his question but he was just going to have to accept it and not let it bother him anymore. It would be a waste of time. This new turn of events was a blessing and he would just have to accept it as that and not worry about it or think something shady was going on.

But he was and he did not know why.

* * *

Back on Third Earth Bengali and the twins were inside Cat's Lair, watching the monitors and keeping an eye out for any trouble. It had been nearly two days since the other Thundercats had left on their rescue mission and so far things had been rather quiet.

"Don't get too comfortable though," Lynx-O had warned them. "A calm like this could just be because a bad storm is brewing just on the horizon."

The older thunderians words had put Bengali on edge and he felt more than a little paranoid. The twins weren't as worried though and had told him he didn't need to be so stressed out all the time. He'd tried to explain why he was feeling the way he did but he'd given up, deciding it was pointless to argue with a couple of kittens.

So now he was just sitting at the monitors watching for enemy activity though nothing had happened and the twins were beginning to think that there never would be.

"I'm tired of looking at that screen," Whileykat complained, turning from the screen and stretching out in his chair. "Why can't we go out and do something?"

"Because Lion-O ordered us to be on alert," Bengali told him, looking somewhat disapprovingly down at the younger male. "If we drop our guard we won't be ready if those Mutants or Lunataks try something."

"But they haven't done anything," Whileykit spoke up, coming to the aid of her brother. "I don't even think they know that Mumm-Ra or the other thundercats are missing."

"Yeah," Whileykat agreed. "They're clueless. They're not going to find out unless we start acting like something is wrong."

Bengali shook his head, stubbornly holding onto his stance. "How would you and Whileykit fooling around prevent that?"

"Because it's something we normally do," the female thunderkitten answered with a grin. "Seeing us flying around on our space boards is routine."

Bengali didn't know what to say to that.

This was just the hesitation the twins were waiting for. They got up before he could form a proper response and grabbed up their boards, running out of the room and shouting. "Thanks, Bengali! we'll be back soon!" leaving the poor white tiger thundercat standing there and wondering how he'd been so easily duped.

Just as the door closed behind the twins the monitor started beeping and Bengali turned to see why. He saw a large icon on the screen indicating there was an incoming message so he reached over and pressed a button on the keyboard to open the message. Once he did so Lion-O's face appeared on the screen.

"Bengali," the lord of the thundercat said.

"Yes, Lion-O?" the white tiger thundercat greeted him. "What's the news? Have you got Mumm-Ra back?"

Lion-O shook his head. "No," he told him. "We haven't even reached the planet yet."

"You haven't?" he looked surprised. "Just how far away is this planet if you haven't gotten there yet?"

The lion thundercat shrugged. "I really don't know, you'd have to ask Panthro," he told him. "Anyway that's not why I am contacting you. How are things going back on Third Earth? Has there been any change in the behavior of the Mutants or Lunataks?"

Bengali shook his head. "It's been pretty quiet down here," he responded. "There has been no activity from either faction. I don't think they know any of you have even left the planet."

"Hmm, maybe it's best that way," Lion-O told him. "If they don't know they can't try anything. I am hoping they will be unaware of the whole thing until after it's over and we have all returned."

"I sure hope so," the other thundercat agreed. "If they both start causing trouble I don't know if the four of us will be enough to deal with them all."

"I'm sure you all will do just fine if anything happens," Lion-O assured him. "but as I said I hope nothing happens at all."

Bengali nodded.

The two Thundercats a little bit longer, discussing other things before they each said their good bye and ended the feed. Once the screen went blank and Bengali put it back on surveillance the tiger thundercat turned from the screen and headed out of the Lair to go and make sure the Thunderkittens hadn't taken their space boards and gone out of sight of the structure.

The last thing he needed right now was for those two to get into some kind of trouble.

* * *

The twins weren't close to the Cat's Lair at all. They'd seemingly made it a point to get as far away from it in as little time as possible. That was more true than not, Bengali had begun to come off to them anyway, as a paranoid and boring tiger and they just wanted to get away from him and have a little fun, instead of sitting in the Lair all day and getting eye strain from watching the screen.

Right then they were on their space boards, riding past the forest where the Warrior Women lived, whooping and hollering and just having all sorts of childish fun. They had completely dropped their guard and seemingly had forgotten about the problem that was hanging over all the Thundercats since Lion-O and the others had left the planet to rescue Mumm-Ra. What they didn't realize was that Monkian was sitting in a tree and watching them closely. When they began to fly away from the forest tree line he moved to follow them, but was careful not to be spotted.

A short time later the twins reached an open field and set down on the ground, jumping off their space boards and sitting on the grass as they allowed themselves to just relax and enjoy the warm sun and cool breeze blowing gently over them.

"Feels good to be outside after being cooped up inside Cat's Lair for the past few days," Whileykat remarked after a moment.

"Yeah," his sister agreed, sitting up and pulling her legs up to her chest. "I wish Bengali wasn't so paranoid about everything. He acts as if taking even a short time to just have a little fun will suddenly cause the world to end."

"Well being a stuffed shirt won't prevent it," Whileykat responded. "If they decide to try anything us sitting at the monitor isn't going to stop it."

"I know," she said. "But try telling Bengali that. He just doesn't know how to have fun."

"Speaking of fun," whileykat looked up at the sky. "Do you think Lion-O and the others have reached Eris yet?"

"I don't know," she said. "But if they have I bet they're having more excitement than we are. I mean if those Erisian beings managed to catch Mumm-Ra and take him to their planet they must be pretty formidable." she sighed. "I wish they'd let us come with them, we could have been so useful."

"Yeah," he nodded, sitting up himself. "If they'd brought us along we would have been back by now!"

Whileykit was quick to agree with that, getting to her feet and striking a pose. "If fact Lion-O would not even have to do anything. We could get to where Mumm-Ra is being held and get him out of it before anyone even realized he was missing!"

"Yes!" Whileykat exclaimed, joining her. "and Mumm-Ra would be so thankful for us saving him he would promise to never do anything evil ever again! We'd be the heroes to all of Third Earth!"

At that moment there was a scuffling sound behind them and the two, alerted by the noise, looked over their shoulders just in time to catch a glimpse of a familiar looking white furred figure rushing off toward the trees.

"Was that Monkian?" Whileykit asked, looking at her brother.

"I don't know..." her brother pulled out his sling and a pellet which he slung at the creature. It landed in front of it with a small explosion which caused the figure to let out a rather apelike scream before it looked back at them, saw the Thunderkittens staring after him, and freaked out running off at breakneck speed. "It was Monkian," he said, looking over at his sister.

"I bet he heard us talking," Whileykit said.

"Which means he now knows that Mumm-Ra and the other Thundercats have left third earth!" he concluded.

"Which means he's going to tell the other Mutants." his sister rushed over to the space boards and climbed onto hers. "Come on. We'd better get back to Cat's Lair and tell Bengali!"

Whileykat quickly joined his sister on his own space board and the twins were soon airborne and flying back to the Cat's Lair.

* * *

Bengali hadn't gotten too far from the cat;s lair, due to him having no idea how to use the thundertank, when he spotted two objects moving quickly toward him. It wasn't long before he saw that the objects were the twins. They were coming right at him and when he could make out their faces he saw that the two had looks of urgency on them.

"Bengali!" they cried in unison when they spotted him and were close enough to be heard.

"Whileykat, Kit? what is going on?" he demanded as they flew around him before landing beside him.

"The mutants know that Lion-O and the other and Mumm-Ra are gone!" the female Thunderkitten exclaimed.

"Yeah," Whileykat finished. "Monkian overheard us talking about them and he ran away to tell the others."

"Didn't you stop him?" Bengali asked, his eyes widening. Surely they hadn't just stood there and prevented him from rushing away to tell the other Mutants without taking preventative measures. "and why were you even talking about it out in the open when anybody could come by and hear you do it. "

The twins shook their heads. "We didn't think to do that," Whileykit admitted. "We're sorry."

Bengali frowned, looking ready to lecture them about it but decided against it. Instead he turned back toward Cat's Lair. "Come on," he said to them. "We'd get back to the Lair and contact Lynx-O. He's going to need to know about this.

* * *

Monkian ran all the way back to Castle Plun-Dar without stopping. By the time he reached the front gate he was just about ready to fall over with exhaustion.

"Slithe, SLITHE!" the simian mutant called, leaning against the door and knocking on it weakly. "Let me in!"

The door opened without warning and he let out a yelp as he fell face first onto the floor. He got up quickly though and rushed inside to find the Mutant leader. Slithe was in the conference room and when Monkian came stumbling into the room he turned to him and asked.

"What did you find out from spying on the Thundercats?"

Monkian pulled himself up off the floor and plopped down in a chair at the table before he began his recap of what he'd heard from the twins. He made sure to point out the fact that only a few of the thundercats were still on the planet. "If we want to take over Third Earth right now it would be very easy."

Slithe scratched his chin, grinning to himself as he allowed himself to mull over the information he'd just received. "This would be a great time to take over Third Earth, yes?"

Monkian nodded, smiling just as widely as his superior. "We should get to work on that before anyone else finds out about this," he told him. "If the Lunataks learn about this they will surely try to use this to their advantage."

"The last thing we need is for the Lunataks to find out about this," Slithe remarked, frowning as he thought about that. "We'll just have to make sure they don't ever come across this information, yess?"

 _A/N_

 _Don't worry. the Lunataks won't be showing up in this story at all. I have real reason to put them in here, they would only serve to add unimportant stuff to the story._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Did you really have to do _that_ to catch him and bring him back?" Culdor demanded of Irisi Vaylong the hunter. "You didn't have to break his arm and try to _shoot_ him! He might be immortal and not die from it but that _doesn't_ mean you have to _damage_ him."

The hunter, who had just left the cell where they'd dropped off Mumm-Ra after their encounter with him in the room where the power source was. "I didn't have a choice," they said. "he was fighting with me and could have killed me if I had done nothing."

Culdor gave the hunter a look that said they didn't believe that for a second. "I don't find that true at all. What could he really do to you with so little power?" he pointed to the hunter's face, speaking through clenched teeth. "Making you bleed a little bit? You've been harmed worse than that in the past. You should have just incapacitated him."

Irisi frowned at him. "That mummy might be low on power and weak looking, but he's also _crazy_. You haven't even seen how he is when he's desperate." the hunter folded their arms and shook their head. "Next time he tries to get away _you_ stop him and find out for yourself."

Culdor sighed, sitting down in his office chair and leaning forward, placing his elbows on the glass top and resting his chin on his hands. "I think now would be a good time to place him in his sarcophagus."

"I wouldn't do that," Irisi told him.

"I don't _care_ what you would or wouldn't do," he told the hunter, using a tone that said he was tired of the hunter's unwanted comments. "You have broken his arm as well as damaged him in other ways. He will not be useful to us in this state. I am not telling you to leave him in there a long time but _at least_ allow him to be given the time to heal from his wounds, especially the broken bones." He frowned at Irisi, giving them a long, hard look. "I _am_ aware that you are no longer under contract since you've returned to the planet but, if you feel that you have some kind of personal _vendetta_ against him that is keeping you hanging around here, you might as well obey my orders."

"What makes you think I have some kind of vendetta?"

"Don't play dumb, Vaylong, it's obvious," he pointed out in a tone that said he wasn't in the mood to argue with the hunter about this. "and pretending that you're not only makes me think you must believe that I am an idiot."

The hunter said nothing to that statement.

Culdor went on. "Now, Miss Vaylong, if you would be so kind, do us both a favor and get some people to help you move the mummy into his sarcophagus." the hunter started to leave but he called after them. "and if I find out you were rough with him anymore I will ensure you _never_ get another hunting job again, understand?"

Irisi Vaylong nodded then left the older Erisian's office without another word.

* * *

"Are you going to be okay?" Pumyra asked as she helped Cheetara lay down on a cot in the sleeping quarters on the Fe-Liner.

"I'll be fine," the cheetah Thundercat told her friend. "I just need to rest a little, that's all."

Pumyra was certain of that but something else was bothering her so she had to ask. "How _did_ you manage to pick up on Mumm-Ra's feelings anyway?"

Cheetara shook her head. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "But there _has_ to be a reason for it, even though I can't think of what that might be."

Pumyra couldn't think of an answer for why it was happening to her so she could only take a wild guess. "Maybe the fact that he's a victim this time made your ability open to him?" she suggested. "I'm not saying he's aware of it, it's doubtful that he is, but that doesn't change the fact that you always pick up on these kinds of things."

"That was my guess too," Cheetara told her. "If that's what it is then I'm going to have to get used to it." she rubbed her temple and shook her head. "I don't like it, to be perfectly honest. I sure hope we find Mumm-Ra quickly once we reach Eris."

Pumyra put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We will," she told her. "and your powers will be a big help in doing so."

"I just hope it's not already too late."

* * *

"Of all the stupid stunts you could have pulled it just had to be this one, _didn't_ it?!" Bengali snapped at the twins once they were all back inside Cat's Lair. "Not only did you disobey a direct order but now you let the _Mutants_ know that they are all gone!" he turned back to the control panel and prepared to contact Lynx-O who was manning the Tower of Omens alone. "This all could have been so _easy_! We could have avoided a whole pack of trouble if you had just stayed _inside_ the lair, but _no_! You two had to go out and blab to _the entire world_ that Mumm-Ra is no longer in his pyramid and Lion-O and the others have left the planet to bring him back!"

"We didn't do it on _purpose_!" Whileykat started to protest.

"No?" he growled at them. "You _accidentally_ left Cat's Lair?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then don't tell me you _didn't_ do it on purpose!"

The twins fell silent realizing it was useless to argue with Bengali about this. He was angry and there was just no reasoning with him when he was angry.

Just then Lynx-O's face appeared on the screen. "Bengali, you weren't supposed to contact me for a few more hours," he said. "What's wrong? Did something happened?"

"Unfortunately, yes," the white tiger Thundercat said. "and I'm afraid to say you're not going to like what it is."

The older Thundercat frowned, his expression telling Bengali he knew what he was about to say was going to be painful. "I know you don't want to share whatever it is you have to say but you might as well do it now instead of later when it will only be harder to do so." Lynx-O leaned forward, his ears tilted slightly forward so he could hear the words better. "All right Bengali, give me your news."

Bengali turned his head to look back at the twins and make sure they were still there and not running off again before he looked back at Lynx-O's image on the monitor screen and began to give him all the details of the twins moment of irresponsibility.

* * *

Irisi Vaylong the Erisian bounty hunter hired to bring Mumm-Ra to Eris, stood in the doorway of the room where they had dropped him off before they'd gone to Culdor's office and gotten yelled at. Now that Irisi was back there and waiting for two other Erisians to come and join them there and while they stood there, killing time they stared down at the mummy who seemed to still be unconscious. Maybe he wouldn't get up at all. It would make things much easier if he didn't because then they could move him without any incident.

That wouldn't be fun, the hunter thought to them self. They'd gotten so used to getting into confrontations with him every time they came face to face with each other that it would just be annoying if that didn't happen. Besides, hurting that pathetic red cloaked bag of bones was just so much _fun_!

They folded their arms and leaned against the door frame, while white eyes locked on his face, waiting for those blank black eyes to light up to inform them that he was waking up. It made it so much easier to tell thanks to him lacking any eyelids.

 _Come on now, Mummy, wake up,_ they thought. _Let's have some more fun before we hook you up._ They licked their lips. _Maybe I'll make you bleed this time, if you even can._

They grinned wickedly, thinking about everything they could do to him if he came to. It would be awhile before the helpers arrived, if he woke up before then and made any attempt at escaping... well nobody would be any wiser.

Heh.

Maybe they should speed this along a little. The hunter walked over to the figure and started to poke him lightly with the toe of their boot. "Come on, mummy, wake up, we don't have all day for you to lay there and do that dead act."

Mumm-Ra's eyes suddenly lit up bright red at that very moment and he reacted basically the way they'd expected him to. His breathe hissed through his razor sharp teeth and he sat up quickly only to crying out in pain when he placed his right hand on the floor and it gave out underneath him.

The hunter grinned, stepping closer to him.

His eyes widened and he used his good arm to pull himself backward and away from them. "Get _away_ from me!"

"Now, now, if I were you I'd be more focused on my broken arm than telling me to get away from you," the hunter said with a fiendish grin.

Mumm-Ra kept on scooting though until his back hit the wall and he couldn't go any further. He put up his good arm, as if he were using it to protect himself. " _Don't_ touch me!" he shouted at the hunter who was still coming at him. "Haven't you done _enough_ to me already?"

Irisi still grinning, placed their hands on their knees and leaned over him. "The only reason I hurt you before is because you were trying to escape instead of being a good little mummy and staying inside your cell." they reached out and grabbed him on the chin, forcing his head up so he looked them right in the eyes. "and, if I were you, I wouldn't try that again." they grinned, showing him those awful needle teeth. "but if you feel like you want to, go right ahead, it will be very entertaining... _for me_!"

Just then there was the sound of footsteps behind the hunter and they released him, looking somewhat disappointed at the interruption. Why did those helpers have to chose that moment to show up? "Lucky you," the hunter said to Mumm-Ra as they straightened up. "You get to avoid anymore trouble for now."

They turned to the two Erisians behind them. "Let's move him now."

The two Erisians stepped into the cell and started to move around the hunter only to stop when they saw that Mumm-Ra was awake. The duo looked at each other and began to speak to each other in Erisian, the chaotic language making them sound like cicadas in the summertime. They sounded like they could be talking about anything, but Mumm-Ra was sure they were taking about him.

They talked a little longer then approached him after seemingly coming to some kind of conclusion and reached out to grab him. Mumm-Ra did not want these insane creatures touching him and kicked out at the closest one, winding it and knocking it into the one behind him. The two fell backward in a tangle of arms and legs.

CRACK!

The hunter had been waiting for just the excuse to inflect further pain on the mummy and they did just that when he knocked the two Erisians to the floor with a kick. They reacted to this by kicking him right in the side of the head and knocking him onto the floor. He wasn't knocked out by the blow, however, but it was extremely painful and he lay there on the floor, holding the side of his head with his free hand.

The hunter knelt and grabbed his head, lifting it off the floor and turning it to make him look at them. "You shouldn't have done that, mummy," they said, grinning and showing off their sharp needle teeth. "They weren't going to hurt you but I on the other hand fully intend to do so, right here and now."

The hunter then shoved his head into the floor with a hard thud, still grinning wickedly as they did so. They probably would have done more if the other two Erisians hadn't intervened, one grabbing the hunter and pulling them away from him and the other pulling the lich as far away from the hunter as the room could allow.

" _Why_ did you do that?" the one holding onto the hunter demanded. "He didn't hurt us!"

"He would have" Irisi argued back, attempting to justify their actions. "You didn't have to fight that thing back on Third Earth. He's not as helpless as he looks."

The Erisian looked over at Mumm-Ra and their partner who was making sure he hadn't been hurt at all. Right then he did not look dangerous at all, just miserable and hurt, if not a little scared. "I don't doubt you but it's been a long time since then and he's weak," the Erisian told the hunter. "and he couldn't hurt anyone even if he tried with how lower his power is." The hunter turned their white eyes back on the hunter. "Maybe you should just stay back and let us do our job."

Irisi Vaylong looked like they wanted to argue but decided against it. Instead they put up their hands and stepped back. "Fine, fine," they said. "But if he attacks you don't say I didn't warn you."

"We'll keep that in mind," the Erisian said before they turned to help their partner with Mumm-Ra.

The mummy didn't fight them, seemingly worn out from that minor confrontation. This was partly true along with the fact that he didn't want anymore trouble with that awful bounty hunter who made it pretty clear they wanted to break more of his bones. They lifted him off the floor and carefully made sure his arms were secured in a pair of cuffs behind his back before leading him out into the hall.

The county hunter, who was the only one aside from Culdor who knew where the sarcophagus was located followed them out standing in the hall with their hands on their hips as they faced the two Erisians. "All right then," Irisi said. "Let's go."

* * *

While Bengali and Lynx-O discussed their next course of action Whileykat and Kit stepped out of the control room and headed to their bed chambers to discuss the problem for themselves. Or they would have but once they entered the room they were instantly distracted by Ma-Mutt who was resting on Whileykit's bed and looking miserable.

"What's the matter Ma-Mutt?" Whileykit asked, walking over to the dog and sitting on the bed beside him. "Do you miss your master?"

The dog let out a whine as if in answer to her question. He turned his sad red eyes on her. The girl gave him a hug, feeling sorry for the poor dog.

"It'll be okay," she told him. "Lion-O and the others will bring you master home soon."

Whileykat sat down on his own bed and watched his sister comfort the dog mummy. "You know when Mumm-Ra comes back Ma-Mutt will go back to being mean again, right?" he asked her.

She looked up at her brother. "I know that," she said. "But he's a dog. He doesn't know any better, he just does what he thinks his master would want him to." she patted Ma-Mutt's head as the dog licked her face. "As silly as it seems Ma-Mutt loves Mumm-Ra and in a strange way Mumm-Ra loves him back."

"Funny," Whileykat remarked, pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around them. "It's hard to image Mumm-Ra loving anybody."

"I know," his sister agreed. "but you can't really argue with the fact he does. He's very protective of Ma-Mutt after all."

"I still think it's weird," he told her, pointing at the dog in her lap. "and if Ma-Mutt were smart he'd go and look for somebody better to take care of him. Mumm-Ra's just a mean old smelly bag of bo-OW!" he cried out in pain when Ma-Mutt' obviously not liking the Thunderkitten saying bad things about his master, bit his hand.

"Serves you right," Whileykit said to him. "You should have known better than to talk bad about Mumm-Ra around Ma-Mutt."

Whileykat pulled his hand away and held onto his bitten hand. "Aww, I don't care what Ma-Mutt thinks," he stated, looking at the bite mark and wincing. "You know it's true."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean you have to say it in front of Ma-Mutt!"

"Why not?" he challenged her. "Do you think he's going to go to Mumm-Ra and tattle tale on us? He can't talk and I doubt Mumm-Ra knows how to speak dog."

"You never know," Whileykit remarked, patting Ma-Mutt's head. "He's been around for a very long time. I bet he knows everything!"

"Sure," Whileykat shook his head and got off the bed. "Not that it matters anymore."

Whileykit sighed, looking toward her brother once more. "Do you think they'll actually be able to bring him back?"

"I don't know, Kit," He said. 'But I wish they'd brought us along." he sighed, folding his arms and leaning his back against the wall. "I don't even know why they decided to bring Snarf with them. What can he do?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, but I guess Lion-O had a good reason for it."

"He would have had an even better reason to take us along instead," her brother retorted. "At least we can _fight_!"

"Yeah," she agreed, nodding her head. "all Snarf does is hide and go snarf snarf!"

At that Ma-Mutt let out a bark as if in response to her comment. The twins chuckled at this. "Looks like Ma-Mutt agrees with you, Kit," Whileykat remarked with a laugh.

"Do you agree with us, Ma-Mutt?" she asked the dog. "Do you think we should have gone to get your master back instead of snarf?"

The dog barked twice more and wagged his tail as if completely agreeing with the twins.

"See? Even Ma-Mutt thinks we should have gone after Mumm-Ra!"

Ma-Mutt barked once more then jumped off the bed and rushed out of the room.

"Hey, where is he going?" Whileykat asked, watching the dog exist the bedroom.

"I don't know," his sister answered. 'but maybe we should follow him."

Her brother nodded and the Thunderkittens rushed out of the bedroom in hot pursuit of the undead dog.

* * *

The Erisians led their prisoner down on corridor then the next, moving through a labyrinth of halls. Mumm-Ra tried to pay attention to every twist and turn but he eventually became so confused by the structure's chaotic architecture that he eventually became lost and could only guess where he was being taken and why. One thing he was sure of, though, was that he was not being taken back to that strange energy sucking device he'd come across earlier, unless these beings were taking a much longer route to get there.

He wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what they were doing, though he wasn't sure why since there wasn't really any way for him to escape the place or the planet anymore. With how he was feeling right now he didn't even want to escape and didn't have the energy to it he tried. Plus his broken arm was causing him unending agony and his hands behind shackled behind his back didn't help. It was all he do to just not pass out from the pain, so far he was successful but he wasn't sure just how much longer he could hold on.

It was a good thing the Erisians leading him along had a strong grip on him just in case he did pass out. He just wished they would take him out of this place instead of deeper into it. Not much more time passed before the Erisians and their unwilling prisoner reached their destination. It looked like a door similar to the cell he'd been in before. The bounty hunter opened the door and they all came inside.

Mumm-Ra's eyes instantly fell on the item propped against the far wall. His sarcophagus! So this was where they'd taken it!

The bounty hunter seemed to notice his expression change when he caught sight of the casket and smirked at him.

"See something you recognize, mummy?" they asked him. The walked over to the sarcophagus and rested their hand on it. "Well you knew I bought it here and I know you were looking for it." they grinned wickedly. "Well here it is, just what you were looking for. all in one piece and in good condition."

Why was this wicked monster even saying these things to him? Why did they feel the need to? Had thee aliens brought him to this room just to show him his sarcophagus and rub it in his face? What was the point?

As he tried to figure out the answer to this question the hunter suddenly shoved the a small blade into the sarcophagus. Mumm-Ra instantly felt a pain in his chest and crumpled over. The only thing that prevented him from hitting the floor were the two Erisians on either side of him who was holding him up.

The hunter smiled at him when he reacted the way he did, obviously enjoying the reaction. "So. If anything happens to this thing it hurts you?" they remarked. "If that's true then." the shoved the blade back into the casket, making it crack slightly. He cried out this time, pitching forward once more. "You better not try anything from now on or I might just put a few more cracks in your bed just to teach you a lesson." They smashed their blade into the sarcophagus again. " _Understood?!"_

When they threatened to hit the sarcophagus again Mumm-Ra shouted. "Understood!" to prevent them from hitting it another time.

"Good," the hunter put the blade away and turned to address the other Erisians. "Put him in there now, but don't free his hands." the hunter headed for the door. "Remember to keep an eye on how long he's in there. We can't have him gaining enough power to be a problem."

Once the hunter had left the room the two Erisians turned their full attention on Mumm-Ra. "Come on," the one spoke in his language. "Time for you get inside."

 _A/N_

 _Don't worry too much. I'm making sure I finish this story, it's just taking longer than I thought it would. Thank you to all who have been reading so far. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Things were only going to get worse from here, Bengali thought to himself after he'd finished explaining the entire situation to Lynx-O who said he would be on full alert before the call ended and the white tiger Thundercat was left alone in the control room. If the Mutants knew, it was very likely the Lunataks would soon. He hoped he was just being paranoid about that but one couldn't be too careful.

But maybe the Lunataks wouldn't find out at all, he told himself. Those beings and the Mutants didn't exactly get along and, if they could take over Third Earth without their rivals finding out, they would. If that were true then the remaining Thundercats on the planet couldn't have as big of a problem to deal with that, he thought.

One couldn't be sure, though. It was best to be safe than sorry. If his guess proved to be wrong he wanted to make sure they had a plan and it was about time he got to work on it.

Getting up out of the chair he headed toward the door just as Ma-Mutt and the twins rushed past. He watched them go by, relieved to know that the two Thunderkittens hadn't tried to sneak out of the lair while he'd been talking to Lynx-O. Still, he would have to talk to them both later on not just to scold them again for going outside in the first place but also to relay the plan to them.

First thing's first though.

Bengali turned and headed into the lower floors of the building to find the blue prints Tygra had made for the lair and figure out the next course of action.

* * *

Pumyra got together with Lion-O after she'd left Cheetara sleeping in the bed chambers of the ship. She explained to him what the other female Thundercat had told her and she and Lion-O both agreed that the reason she was picking up on Mumm-Ra's feelings was indeed because he was in trouble. The two Thundercats also decided it might be time to try to reach Eris a bit more quickly than their current speed. Hopefully Panthro and Tygra would be able to get the ship to accelerate just a little bit more without the ship falling apart in the process.

The only way to find that out was to ask the two about it.

"I don't think we have much time left," Pumyra said as they walked toward the control room to discuss things with the other Thundercats.

Lion-O shot her a questioning look.

The female Thundercat clarified. "I'm going to guess by what Cheetara is picking up from him he's on Eris and they're doing something unpleasant to him," she explained. "For all we know what she felt was them attaching him to the device the Ancient Spirits had spoken about and when the pain went away it might have been because him being inside it caused so great an agony he'd lost consciousness."

Lion-O didn't like what Pumyra was suggesting but he really had no way to question her words. He knew she was only making a guess so arguing with her about it would be foolish. For all he knew she was absolutely right.

"Let's just go in and ask Panthro if he and Tygra can get the ship to move faster," she said, breaking into his thoughts. "That's where we were headed anyway, right?"

He noddeed. "Right."

With their thoughts back on track, the two entered the control room to talk to the other Thundercats about getting the ship to move faster.

* * *

Ma-Mutt led the Thunderkittens to the entrance of Cat's Lair and barked, getting up on his hind legs and placing his paws on the door as he looked up at them.

"Does he want us to go outside?" Whileykit asked, watching the dog, her head cocked to the side.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Whileykat said, looking at his twin sister. "You know how Bengali acted when we went out earlier. If we go out now we'll only be in even more trouble."

Whileykit went over to the mummy dog and knelt down to pet him. "I'm sorry, Ma-Mutt but we can't go outside," she told him, scratching the top of his head. "If you want to go for a walk you'll just have to wait awhile."

Ma-Mutt looked at her and whined pathetically. It was obvious the dog wanted to go outside for some reason, though the twins couldn't think of a single reason why. They looked at each other and shrugged. The dog went over to Whileykit and jumped up, catching the skirt of her dress in his teeth, he began to tug on her, pulling her toward the door.

"Whoa! Hold it!" she exclaimed as the the dog drug her toward the door. "Ma-Mutt, stop! We can't go outside, Bengali will scold us and the Mutants know your master is gone! If they see us they'll come after us!"

But the dog didn't seem to be listening. He continued to pull her along, making whining noises.

"I don't think he's going to stop until we go wherever he wants," Whileykat remarked after this continued for a moment.

"But we can't go back outside!" his sister exclaimed. "Bengali will _spank_ us if we do!"

Ma-Mutt didn't seem to understand anything she was saying and continued to pull on her skirt. She reached down and grabbed onto it, trying to pull the fabric free of the dog's teeth. "Come on, Ma-Mutt, quit playing around! We can't go outside!"

Whileykat laughed. "Kit, I believe he thinks otherwise. Maybe he has to go to the bathroom? I am pretty certain if we let him tinkle in the lair Bengali will yell at us anyway." he walked toward her and Ma-Mutt. "Let's just let him do his thing and then we'll come back inside. It will only take a minute."

Whileykit looked up at her brother and sighed, nodding defeated. "All right," she looked down at the dog. "but we have to hurry, okay?"

Ma-Mutt finally let go of her skirt as her brother opened the door of Cat's Lair. As soon as he did Ma-Mutt took off running and he didn't just go to the end of paved courtyard area of the structure to do his business, he rushed across the bridge into the trees.

The twins, realizing that he hadn't had to go after all, took off after the dog, shouting. "Come back, Ma-Mutt! You can't be out here! You're going to get us in trouble!"

But Ma-Mutt kept on running making it clear he wasn't going to listen to a word the two Thunderkittens were saying. The kittens were forced to continue to chase him, hoping he would eventually slow down enough for them to catch him and take him back to Cats Lair before Bengali realized they were missing.

The dog seemed to be intentionally leading the twins as far away from the lair as he could before they managed to catch up with him and take him back to the Thundercat's home. He kept this up for about ten more minutes before Whileykit threw herself at him and caught him in her arms in a football tackle.

"Okay, Ma-Mutt," she said, collecting the protesting dog in her arms as she stood up. "We have to get back to Cat's Lair before Bengali realizes we're gone. I don't know why you ran off like you did but you put the three of us in danger. "

"Do you got him?" Whilaykat called to her from a short distance away.

"Yeah," she turned to her brother with the unhappy dog in her arms. "Let's get out of here-." she frowned, noticing the look on her brother's face. "What's wrong, Whileykat?"

Her brother, trembling and holding an "uh oh" look on his face raised a hand and pointed behind her.

Suddenly the Thunderkitten got the worst feeling that something unpleasant was standing behind her and she turned slowly, finding herself looking at the grinning face of Jackalman.

"Hello, Thunderkittens, fancy meeting you out here."Whileykat pulled out his weapon, ready to fight if the Mutant attacked him or his sister. "You get away from Whileykit, Jackalman!" he shouted at him.

Jackalman cackled at him. "And what will you do if I don't get away from her, boy?"

"Duck, Kit!" he exclaimed, pulling a capsule from off his belt.

His sister, still holding onto Ma-Mutt ducked as her brother pulled out his sling and used it to slap the capsule over her head and right into Jackalman's face where it burst open covering the Mutants with pepper gas.

"AHHH MY EYES!" he yelped out in pain, grabbing his eyes, as Whileykit got up and rushed toward her brother, holding Mumm-Ra's dog tightly in her arms.

"Quick!" her brother shouted back at her. "Let's get out of here before it wears off!"

The female Thunderkitten was more than happy to do so and she took off running, dog in her arms, and her brother running beside her.

"Get back here, you brats!" the twins heard Jackalman shout from behind them. "You're going to pay for for trying t blind me!"

"Run!" Whileykat shouted.

The twins sped up, going as fast as their legs could carry them. Jackalman gave chase and seemed to be getting closer and closer with each step. The kittens didn't look back though, focusing their attention on the Cats Lair looming far, too far, in the distance. Ma-Mutt had run further from the building than the two had thought.

"Keep running. Kit!" her brother shouted at his sister. "Don't slow down or look back, just keep running!"

His sister obeyed his words, running as fast her legs could carry her as she clutched Ma-Mutt to her chest and focused her eyes completely on the Cat's Lair ahead of her. She had to get there before Jackalman caught up with her and her brother.

She glanced sideways, relieved that her brother was keeping up with her. She didn't know what she would do if he was captured. She knew she wouldn't be able to just allow that to happen. But so far they both seemed to be running at the same pace, and would probably reach the lair before the Mutant chasing them caught up to them.

Or she would have made it if she hadn't looked over toward her brother. Doing so prevented her from looking where she was going and she didn't see the rock sticking out of the ground ahead of her. Before she knew what was happening the female Thunderkitten had fallen face first to the ground. She hit the grass with a yelp from both her and Ma-Mutt who was still clenched tightly in her arms.

"Kit!" Whileykat called back to her, turning to run back to her.

"No, Kat!" she called to him as she started to push herself up from the ground. "Keep running!"

"I can't leave you!" he exclaimed, starting to rush back toward her.

But before he got too close Jackalman had caught up with Kit and stomped onto her back, knocking her onto the ground. He cackled, grinning down at her. "I told you you wouldn't get away."

"Hey, you leave her alone!" he shouted, pulling out his weapon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said, looking up at the male Thunderkitten. "You try that again and I'll split your sister's head like a watermelon."

"Get out of here, Kat!" she called to her brother. "Get back to Cat's Lair and warn Bengali!"

Jackalman stomped down on her back. "Shut up!" she cried out and he looked back at whileykat, grinning wickedly. "If you don't want anything bad to happen to your sister, you'll drop your weapon and surrender to me!"

"No, Kat, run!" she yelled at him. "I'll be fine! Just go."

Jackalman smirked at Whileykat. "It's your choice, boy."

Whileykat stood there, frozen, unable to decide what to do. He didn't want to leave his sister there, didn't want Jackalman to hurt her but he also didn't want to just let him have his way. He clenched his fist, his eyes locking on his sister's who was silently begging him to run. He couldn't. He just couldn't...

"Well?"

Whileykat stood there a moment and then... took off toward Cat's Lair without another moment's hesitation.

"Get back here!" Jackalman shouted. He would have given chase but doing so would mean he had to release his hold on Whileykit. The Mutant stewed for a moment then looked down at her. "I guess you're brother doesn't care about you after all. Leaving you here like that."

She glared up at him but gave him no come back. She knew Whileykat hadn't run because he didn't care, he'd run because she'd told him to. She was glad he did it was better one of them made it back to the lair than neither of them.

"Well no sense hanging around here any longer," he said. " Come on, get up. You're coming back to Castle Plun-Dar with me." He reached down to pull her up.

Ma-Mutt growled and snapped at him. He let out a yelp and pulled his hand back. "Stupid mutt!" he snapped at the dog. "Don't think just because you're a canine doesn't mean I'll be nice to you! I never did like you anyway and Mumm-Ra's not here anymore to stop me from beating your brains in."

Wjileykit glared at him, as she held onto the growling dog. "I'd like to see you try," she said, through clenched teeth. "I doubt you would have the guts to do it."

Jackalman growled at her, losing his patience. "Shut up!" he snapped at her. "Just get moving!" he gave her a kick with his foot and she quickly got to her feet and started moving. "and don't you _dare_ try running off."

* * *

Mumm-Ra rested in his sarcophagus, not exactly sleeping and not exactly awake. He was in that state between the two stages. After the two Erisians had put him inside the stone coffin he'd tried to go to sleep so he could regain some of his power and heal up the wounds he'd managed to accumulate since his first encounter with the bounty hunter.

So far he wasn't having luck accomplishing this only be able to go into a dozing state. It wasn't what he'd wanted but it was better than nothing and much more satisfying than constantly being knocked unconscious by that awful hunter. That being said he wasn't sure if what he was hearing was actually real or voices from an oncoming dream state. Whatever the origins it was the voices were speaking too fast and in a language he couldn't understand.

He wasn't sure because of the language barrier but he got the feeling the voices were either talking about him or to him but he was too exhausted to try figuring it out. It didn't matter right now anyway.

All he wanted was to get some sleep and heal.

But those voices were preventing him from actually reaching that state and it became apparent pretty quickly that whatever conversation they were having it wasn't going to end any time soon.

"It will not be much longer," the voices said, suddenly in a language he could understand. "He has been inside for a few hours now. Remember the directive. Don't let him stay inside for any extended period of time."

"I am aware. He cannot be allowed to gain back all of his power. Only enough to heal him."

"Do they really think he will be the one who will actually be able to power the device without expiring?"

"Yes, he is immortal. He cannot die. Once he's placed in the device everything will be the way it should be."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"If the scientists calculations are correct it will."

I hope so. The last thing we need is to find out we went through all the trouble getting that creature only to discover it was a waste of time and energy."

"If that is how it turns out then we'll just have to discard him and keep looking. Don't look at me like that. You know as well as I do that if he cannot power it then we will have to ensure he cannot come back for revenge. He might not be able to die but there are still preventative measures out there that can and will be taken..."

The voiced faded as Mumm-Ra finally managed to drift fully into sleep. But even though he accomplished this he was unable to have even a minor moment of peace. His dreams had become nightmares and they were full of demonic voices and horrific images.

* * *

"So, what do you think? Would you be able to get the ship to move a little faster?" Lion-O and Pumyra had returned to the control room and explained everything to the two male Thundercats after doing so the Thundercat Lord had asked the question.

"I don't know, Lion-O," Panthro said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I've never really felt the need to push the Fe-Liner to it's limit before now, but maybe, just maybe, I could get the ship to reach a faster pace." He looked at Tygra. "What do you think?"

Tygra folded his arms and thought about it for a moment. "It might be possible," he said after a moment. "I did design the ship to be fast and the speeds it's reached so far aren't even half of what it can do."

"So then you'll give it a try?" Pumyra asked them.

The two looked at her and nodded. "We'll do our best." and they both turned to the controls and began to work on getting the ship ready for the risk they were about to take with it. As they did so Pumyra and Lion-O sat down in their seats and waited. As they did Snarf came wandering into the room to see what the Thundercats were doing.

"What's going on?" he asked when he noticed that Panthro and Tygra were hard at work at the monitors.

"We're getting ready to have the Fe-liner go faster than it ever has before," Pumyra said, turning to look at the snarf.

"Huh? Why? Snarf ,snarf."

"So we can get to the planet of Eris faster and free Mumm-Ra," she explained to him.

Snarf gave her a nervous look. "I don't know this is such a good idea," he remarked. "why do we need to risk the Fe-liner just to get to Mumm-Ra faster? If we take our time he'll still be there when we reach that planet."

"Because if we take our time it could be too late by the time we get there," she told him and then began to explain what Cheeterah was going through with her sixth sense being linked to the wizard lich.

"You mean to tell me Mumm-Ra had hooked himself up to Cheetara's powers?!" he exclaimed, getting up on his tail. He made a unhappy sound. "I don't like where this is going, snarf, snarf."

"Well we don't know why it happened or even if he's aware he's doing it," Lion-O remarked, looking at his childhood caregiver. "But we can't allow him to continue to suffer, because when he does so does cheetara and as much as you don't like him, Snarf, you do care about her, right?"

"Right..." he said, looking unhappy.

"So this is just what we're going to have to do," Pumyra said, giving him a look that said she felt bad for him. "We have no other choice." she patted the seat beside her. "Why don't you sit by me? If Tygra and Panthro can get the ship to move faster the thrust might knock you off your feet, it would be best if you were strapped in so that doesn't happen."

"Okay, snarf, snarf," he padded over to where the female thundercat was seated and jumped up onto the seat beside her.

"There, now," she said, patting him on the head reassuringly. "You really shouldn't get so worked up about these things."

"Easy for you to say, snarf snarf," he whined, getting comfortable on the chair. "You haven't been through as much as I have."

"Okay," Panthro said at that moment. "we're ready to try this. Hold onto your hats everyone!"

The other cats made sure they were securely strapped in before Tygra and Panthro checked the controls one more time and pushed the ship into overdrive. As the ship did snarf let out a cry of distress and put his hands over his eyes.

"We're all going to die, snarf, snarf!"

"Stay calm, snarf!" Lion-O called to him. "It won't be too long. If the ship risked any chance of falling apart Tygra and Panthro wouldn't be trying this."

But the snarf couldn't be consoled and he stayed in his hands over eyes, tail wrapped tightly around his body for the rest of the ride.

* * *

Mumm-Ra felt like he was floating through the vast void of space, lost in the open universe far from any stars or planets. He looked around himself, scared and lost, not knowing where he was or how he got there.

Suddenly before him there was a light that grew brighter and brighter. He put up a hand to keep from being blinded but could not block out the light. As the light grew brighter he became aware of a rumbling sound, which caused him to lower his hand and squint toward the light, trying to understand what he was hearing. But just as he did so the light before him changed, suddenly taking on a more sinister form.

The light grew brighter and suddenly there was a loud explosive sound that sent that light charing toward him, being lead by a violent shock wave that knocked him backward seconds before the light and sound caught up, engulfing him in fire and pain.

Mumm-Ra jerked away, gasping for air. His found himself in darkness and in a confined space that only served to make his panicked state worsen.

He cried out and struck out at the darkness, discovering he couldn't move his hands at all and that his feet which he could move bumped against some kind of cold resistance that only ended with him hurting his feed and nothing more.

"No! Let me out of here!"

There were voiced and then the sound of stone scraping against stone. A light slipped through a crack in his confinement that grew until there was enough of it that he could see again. He picked forward, landing on his face on a cold stone floor of chaotically dark colors.

There he lay for a few moments, breathing heavily and trying to calm himself down. It was a little longer before his mind finally started thinking rationally and he remembered where he was, though doing so did not help him feel much better. He might not being stuck in space being engulfed by an intergalactic explosion but where he was in reality any different. He was still in trouble and he had no way of getting himself out of it.

Mumm-Ra rolled on his left side and looked up, finding himself staring up at the face of that cursed bounty hunter. "Good morning Mummy," the hunter said to him, grinning wickedly. "Are you ready to be put to good use now?"

 _A/N_

 _I don't care about this anymore and most likely will not ever finish it._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Bengali had a bad feeling as he came upstairs and couldn't find any trace of the Thunderkittens. He was just about to go out and looked for the two since he figured they'd disobeyed his orders and sneaked outside again when he was startled by the sound of shouting and pounding on the main entrance door of the Lair. When he opened it Whileykat fell into him, nearly climbing the white tiger in his panicked state.

"Kat, what-" His words were cut off when the younger Thunder cat grabbed the front of his shirt and yelled. "We _have_ to _save_ her!"

Bengali grabbed the boy's arms and pulled him back and away. "Slow down, Kat," he ordered. "Who's got who? What happened?"

"The Mutants have my sister!" he exclaimed and then began to spill the entire events of what had happened in such rapid fire tones that the white tiger Thundercat had a hard time keeping up with what he was saying.

When he finished recounting the events, Bengali said. "Come on." and he started pulling him up the stairs.

'Where are we going?" Whileykat asked, somewhat surprised by the direction they were headed..

"We have to contact Lynx-O."

"But what about Kit?!"

"There's nothing we can do for her right now."

"What? But we have to get her _back_!" the Thunderkitten exclaimed. "We can't just let them _keep_ her!"

Bengali repeated himself. "There's nothing we can do right now."

Whileykat frowned. "If _Lion-O_ were here he'd go after them!"

"Well Lion-O's not here," the tiger thundercat shot back, his short temper beginning to snap.

Whileykat started to try to pull himself free from Bengali's grip. "No he's not and you're nothing but a coward, too afraid to save Kit from the Mutants!"

Bengali stopped dead in his tracks and turned fully on Kat, his blue eyes like two blocks of ice. "I am _not_ a coward," he growled at him. "We cannot go to Castle Plun-Dar by _ourselves_. If we did we'd just be caught too. We're going to need help and _that_ is why I am going to contact Lynx-O."

Whileykat looked away, feeling ashamed of himself. "I'm-I'm sorry," he said in a small voice.

Bengali turned away from him. "Let's just go talk to Lynx-O," he said. "We need to hurry before they do something to her."

* * *

Jackalman forced Whileykit to march back to Castle Plun-Dar without allowing her to stop to rest. She to her own credit didn't even make any attempt to simply, holding tightly to Ma-Mutt and walking along with her head held high, though she did briefly turn her head back to stick her tongue out at him once in awhile. By the time they reached the Mutants castle Whileykit felt like she was going to fall over from exhaustion but refused to let on. She would not given these filthy beasts the satisfaction.

Jackalman led her to the door and opened it, shoving her roughly inside.

Whileykit shot a glare over her shoulder as she went into the castle. He glared back at her and gave her a shove that made her lose her balance. She stumbled forward, dropping Ma-Mutt to regain her balance. The dog landed on his feet and rushed at Jackalman, barking and growling.

"Hey, get away from me!" he shouted, holding up his spear to protect himself. Mumm-Ra's dog jumped at him and bit onto the shaft, growling and pulling on it. "AH! Let go!"

"Get him, Ma-Mutt!" Kit exclaimed, cheering the dog on. "Show him who's boss!"

Just then Slithe came down from an upper floor, looking annoyed at the sudden disturbance. "What's going on down here?" he demanded then stopped in his tracks and stared when he saw Jackalman screaming and fighting against Ma-Mutt who had backed him into a corner. He also noticed Whileykit standing there cheering the dog on. It looked utterly strange.

"SILENCE!" he shouted, causing the three to freeze and all turn their heads in his direction with wide eyes and mouths hanging open.

"Anyone going to tell me what exactly is going on, yess?" the lizard mutant demanded, his hands on his hips.

Jacalman pointed at Ma-Mutt who was sitting in front of him. "That mutt attacked me!" he exclaimed.

"Ma-Mutt had a very good reason for attacking you!" Whileykit shouted at him. "You attacked us and then forced us to come here! Anything he does you deserve it!"

Slithe looked at her, just then noticing the female Thunderkitten standing there. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

Kit looked at him and pointed at Jackalman. "He brought us here! He came after me and my brother and drug me here!"

Slithe looked confused for a moment then shook his head and his mind seemed to clear up. He looked right at Whileykit. "I don't know why he brought you here but it must be for a reason," he stated. "So get that dog away from Jackalman and then don't even _think_ about escaping."

The female Thunderkitten put her hands on her hips and glared at him in utter defiance. Who did he think he was ordering her around? He was her enemy and she didn't have to listen to him. Instead of her doing what the lizard mutant told her to do she pointed at him and shouted. "Sick em, Ma-Mutt!"

The undead dog turned from Jackalman and growled at Slithe before he rushed at him, barking angrily. Slithe's eyes widened. "Hey, get away from me!" he yelled, turning away and running up the stairs as the dog chased after him, right on his heels.

Whileykit watched him run off and burst out laughing, taking great pleasure in seeing the mutant being given a taste of his own medicine by none other than Mumm-Ra's dog. "Good boy!" she called to the undead canine. "Show him who's boss!"

Ma-Mutt seemed fully intent on doing so as he chased the mutant up the stairs and out of sight. While he did this the female Thunderkitten turned back toward Jackalman. "It's just you and me now, doggy," she said, taking out her sling. "So let's settle this now."

Jackalman let out a shriek as Kit took a pellet out of her belt and used her sling to pelt it at him. The canine Mutant dropped his spear and turned to run away but the pellet hit him before he even took a step and it exploded into a shower of pebbles.

While he flipped out, whileykit then turned and ran off after Slithe, intent on helping Ma-Mutt take him down so they could then both get out of there and head back to the Cat's Lair.

* * *

Mumm-Ra knew he was in trouble. It wasn't hard to figure this out. As the two Erisians grippedhis arms on either side of him he was becoming more and more aware of that pulling sensation that had led him to that awful machine where he and the Erisian hunter had had their confrontation. He also knew there was nothing he could do to prevent these beings from taking him there once more. He might have managed to heal his wounds and regain some of his power from the short nap he'd had in his sarcophagus but it wasn't enough to enable him to use his power or transform.

The only thing he could do at the moment was try to figure out a way to get out of there. There had to be a way, he told himself. There just _had_ to. He didn't have any hope of being rescued, since none of the beings he was enemies or allies would care if he was taken from the planet. They would just be happy to have him gone. No, he was just going to work this out himself, even though he knew it was practically pointless.

But he knew there had to be a way to get out of there, there was always a way. Unfortunately he couldn't think of a single one and he was running out of time. The closer the Erisians brought him to that room again the more it felt as if he were being pulled into a black hole.

Mumm-Ra glanced at the Erisian bounty hunter walking just a little further ahead. He couldn't tell but for some reason he thought he could see that awful, sadistic smile on their, no, her face. It was apparent this monster was enjoying this. She just couldn't wait for him to be forced into that machine to power it for whatever reason these aliens wanted him to do it for. He had no idea why they needed it to work but he was certain its purpose was worse than anything _he_ would be willing to do, and he wasn't a wonderful person to begin with.

The mummy's mind returned to his nightmare, the one he'd had before he'd woken up and panicked when he'd forgotten where he was. The light and the explosion that had rent his body into pieces. Pain wasn't a big thing in most of his dreams but the agony of being turned into nothing but particles had been excruciating. Just thinking about it gave his body a kind of phantom hurt. If he'd felt actual pain in a dream and if it were somehow linked to the machine that seemed to pull his power right out of his body, whatever was going to happen to him if he were forced into it was going to be bad.

Just then the Erisian's flanking him stopped, forcing him to do the same and jostling him to of his thoughts. When he looked up he found the hunter looked down at him, that sinister smile plastered thickly on her face.

"We're here," she said locking eyes at him. "You know what _that_ means, don't you?"

Mumm-Ra knew all too well and he wished he didn't. The hunter though was able to pick up his feelings by the rather scared look on his face that he'd been trying to hard to hide.

"All right," she said, turning her attention to the smaller Erisians. "Let's get him inside."

* * *

The Thundercats held on tightly as the Fe-Liner shot through warp speed, gripping the arms of their chairs as the stars zipped past them. Snarf clung tightly to Pumyra's arm, wailing pitifully the entire time. When the ship finally came out of warp speed Panthro said. "Okay, we did it! We're here!"

"Snaaaaaarf," Snarf sighed in relief, releasing Pumyra's arm and flopping back into his seat. "We're still alive."

The female Thunsdercat looked at him with a smile. "It looks like it" she said, chuckling.

Lion-O got out of his own seat and went over to the viewing screen to take a look. He stared out of it, eyes locked on a rather odd looking planet. It had one moon orbiting it in an odd format, the moon spinning counter clockwise as it seemed to be going backward. Purple lightning shot out of thick clouds and dispersed into the two sets of rings one parallel and one vertical. He frowned, taking it all in wordlessly.

Eris. They had made it. It wouldn't be much longer now.

 _Hold on Mumm-Ra, we're coming for you._

The Thundercat Lord turned to Tygra and Panthro. "How soon can we land?" he asked them.

Tygra looked up from the computer. "It's too early to say, right now," he told him. "Just wait a little longer."

* * *

Lynx-O knew something had happened the moment Bengali had gotten in contact with him. When the screen came on he turned his sightless eyes on him and asked. "Something has gone wrong, hasn't it?"

"I'm afraid so," Bengali replied, glancing disapprovingly at Whileykat who stood beside him. "Whileykit has been captured."

"Captured?" the older Thundercat's expression changed to one of surprise. "What happened?"

Bengali looked over at Whileykat who miserably began to once again recount what had happened. Once he finished Lynx-Os face became grim. "Oh dear, this does create a problem. What do you want us to do about it, Bengali?"

"We're going to have to go after her," the younger Thundercat replied. "but I felt it was wise to speak with you first and help me come up with a plan that will be easy and full proof."

Lynx-O thought for a moment before saying. "I think I might have a way..."

* * *

Cheetara had felt the ship moving and then come to an abrupt stop. Something told her they had arrived at their destination and she slowly sat up, resting her hand on her head. They were there, it wouldn't be much longer now.

The female Thundercat turned her head toward the window, only seeing stars. The sleeping quarters were on the wrong side of the ship so she wouldn't be able to look at the planet from there. It was time for her to join the others. She got up off the bed and made her way toward the control room.

The other Thundercats were there, staring out at the planet before them. She looked up at it, taking in the strange colors and odd orbit and got an uneasy feeling about the place. Like the entire planet had an infinite evil seeping out of it and contaminating the space around it. She shuddered, being gripped by a sudden unexplainable fear.

Whatever or whoever were on that planet they would not be the kind of being that could be reasoned with.

"How soon will we be landing?" she asked out loud.

The rest of the Thundercats looked toward her when she spoke. Tygra, upon seeing her up and about, went toward her, looking worried. "Are you sure you should be up, Cheetara?" he asked her. He rested his hands on her shoulders. "Shouldn't you be lying down, recovering from those images Mumm-Ra sent you?"

"I'm fine," she told the tiger Thundercat. "I had some rest and I feel much better now."

Tygra still looked unsure so she placed her hand on one of his and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine," she reassured him. "You shouldn't worry so much about, Tygra. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"I know..." he let the matter drop then and answered her question. "We'll be heading down to the planet in a few hours. Right now Panthro and I need some time to locate a good place to land."

Panthro looked over at him. "I think I might have found a place," he said just then. "Come have a look."

Cheetara, Tygra and the others all crowed around Panthro to get a look at the screen. It zoomed in on a break in the odd color clouds and below. There on the surface was a clear area that looked like a desert, a strangely ordered section on a chaotic planet.

"See there?" he asked, pointing at the spot on the screen. "It looks like it's pretty far from any civilization. If we land the Fe-Liner there we can avoid being spotted by anyone." he also pointed at what looked like a mountain range surrounding the area. "See? We have a natural blind."

Lion-O looked at the area thoughtfully. "I don't know," he said. "It might be a little too far from the inhabited areas. Landing there would only make it take longer for us to get Mumm-Ra out of there.""

"Well, Lion-O," Panthro said, looking up at the younger Thundercat. "We don't know where exactly on the planet Mumm-Ra is, so I don't see the point in landing elsewhere."

Lion-O sighed. He knew Panthro was right. "But I am certain that if they took him anywhere it would be someplace that isn't so out of the way..."

"Lion-O is right," Cheetara spoke up. "He's not anywhere near there." she pointed toward an area hidden by the clouds. "from the images I received from him he seems to be in a more populated area with buildings." her finger trapped the scree. "somewhere in there."

Panthro looked up at her. "But we don't even now what is behind those clouds or is there is anywhere to land," he protested.

"It can't be helped," she told him. "He's down there somewhere. "

The panther Thundercat returned his attention to the screen and rested the palm of his hand over his face as he sighed. Why did everything have to be so complicated? "Looks I'll have to keep looking." he muttered.

Lion-O patted his friend's shoulder encouragingly. "Keep at it," he said. "You'll find something."

"I sure hope so." but now things were much harder. Figures. "Wish me luck, I'll need it."

* * *

Vultureman was alerted by the sound of chaos happening in the castle and set the project he was working on down to investigate. Why was it every time he was busy with something important the other Mutants always had to make noise and interrupt him? Didn't they have an _respect_ for his genius?

Oh course they didn't, why was he asking himself that?

He opened the door and stepped into the hall, demanding. "Hey what's-"

Just then Slithe ran by while being chased by an very angry Ma-Mutt. The avian Mutant stood, watching this with a dumbfounded expression.

What in the world ?

Slithe finally noticed him and shouted. "Don't just stand there, Vultureman, do something yesss!?"

That snapped the mutant out of it and he moved to get himself between the lizard mutant and Mumm-Ra's dog. "Hey, Ma-Mutt, heel!" he shouted, flapping his arms. "I said heel!"

Ma-Mutt responded to this by jumping at the vulture's face and snapping at his beak. The Mutant let out a shriek and backed away from the dog, tripping over his own feet and crashing onto the floor. Ma-Mutt jumped onto his chest and then stood there, growling.

"ARGH! Get off of me, you mangy mutt!" he screamed, putting up an arm to protect his face.

Now that Mumm-Ra's dog was distracted Slithe got a chance to deal with him. He sneaked up behind the dog and threw a sack over him, yanking the dog up into it and holding the top closed as Ma-Mutt barked and growled, fighting to get out of it.

"Ha! Gotcha!" he cried out in triumph.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Vultureman demanded as he got up off the floor. He wasn't happy about being interrupted or being attacked by the undead dog.

"Jackalman caught the female Thunderbrat and brought her back here," slithe explained, tying up the top of the sack. "She had Ma-mutt with her and the coward let the dog run loose."

Vulturteman made a noise. "A Thunderkitten?!"

"That's what I said, yess?"

"And you're letting her run _loose_ around the base?!" Vultureman knew how much trouble the Thundercats cause every time one of them managed to sneak inside the building.

"Hey, don't look at _me,_ Jackalman is the one responsible for that." Slithe glared at him. He did not like being lectured by the mad inventor.

"Well, we can't have her running around loose in the base!" the avian mutant shouted.

"Don't worry about that," a voice spoke up from above. "I've already taken care of it."

The two mutants looked up, spotting Monkian hanging from the rafters. He had his arms wrapped tightly around Whileykit who was struggling madly to get free.

"Put me down, you big ape!" she shouted.

Monkian jumped down from his perch but didn't let go of Whileykit. "Hold still, missy!" he ordered her.

But she wasn't going to do what that. Instead she continued struggling and yelling abuse at the Mutants. Further down the hall Jackalman coming toward them, looking utterly embarrassed. The other Mutants looked at him and Slithe made a snide comment at him which made the canine mutant feel even worse.

"It _wasn't_ my fault," he whined.

"You could have been more careful," Slithe shot back. He looked over at Monkian. "Would you please restrain that brat and and gag her while you're at it! I'm sick of hearing her _big mouth_ , yess?!"

Monkian moved to obey, though he was having such a hard time Vultureman had to go over and help him,though the avian muttered complaints the entire time.

"Now,let's put her in a cell until we decide what to do with her." Slithe handed the sack holding Ma-mutt to Jackalman. "that goes for this one too." he eyed the other mutant with a scolding expression. "Think you can do something as simple as that, Jackalman, yess?"

Jackalman held onto the wiggling and growling sack with wide, freaked out eyes. "Y-yes, Slithe!"he exclaimed, nervously.

"Good." Slithe gave him a shove. "Then get moving!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jackalman took Ma-Mutt and Whileykit to the dungeon where he shoved them into a cell and then closed and locked the door behind them.

"Now you stay in there!" he shouted in at them. Kit turned her head to glare at him before he walked off.

Once he was gone, she turned her attention to the bag Ma-Mutt was still tied in. She scooted over to the bag and, after putting her arms in front of her she reached over to untie the knot holding the sack shut.

The dog quickly got out of the sack and went to Ma-Mutt, pulling the gag out of her mouth and licking her face. "You're welcome," she giggled. "But could you please untie me? I'd really appreciate it."

The dog quickly chewed the ropes off her wrists and when she was free, she gave him a grateful pat. "Thanks," she said with gratitude. She looked around the cell with a frown. "Now that that's taken care of I think it's time try to think of a way to get out of here."

At the moment nothing was coming to her but she sat back and looked around wracking her brain for some kind of an answer. While she did so Ma-Mutt rested his head on her legs and made a pitiful sound, causing her to reach down and scratch the dog behind his ears.

She looked down at him and asked. "What do you think, Ma-Mutt? Do you have any ideas on how to get us out of here?"

The dog whined and licked her hand but he seemed to be having the same problem she was. Whileykit sighed and shook her head. "Figures. I guess we'll just have to sit and wait for somebody to come and get us, unless we get some kind of epiphany before then."

Ma-Mutt turned his sad red eyes up at her and she gave him a hug. "It's okay," she said. "I'm sure it won't be much longer, we just have to keep a positive attitude about it. We'll get out of here soon, I promise."

But as she looked toward the window she began to wonder if she would even be able to keep that promise. Most of the Thundercats were off the planet and the ones who were left might not be able to find or help her. She knew she shouldn't be thinking that way, but she couldn't help it.

Without Lion-O and the others, things just seemed hopeless.

* * *

Lynx-O, Bengali, and Whileykat met up a short time latert and began to discuss their next course of action to save Whileykit from the Mutants. Kat had a lot of ideas but they were illogical and came off as a hysterical mess that made no real sense. Bengali eventually handed him a paper bag and told him to breath into it for awhile until he calmed down, that's how bad it was.

"Okay,' Bengali said as Whileykat worked on calming himself down. "Do you have any suggestions?" he looked right at Lynx-O as he said this. "I mean I like your plan but do you have anything specific you want us to do?"

Lynx-O thought for a moment. Finally he said. "Remember the way Tygra got inside that one time? When he went through the water pipes? We can get I through there. If they haven't blocked it off it should be accessed easily."

"But they might expect us to come in that way!" Whileykat protested, now no longer hyperventilating. "They could have people waiting for us there."

"Do you have a different idea?" Bengali asked him, frowning. "One that's actually coherent?"

When the Thunderkitten said nothing he shook his head. "See? You don't!"

"Well what about you?" the young Thundercat demanded, folding his arms. "Do you have any ideas, or are you just trying to rely on us for inspiration when you honestly don't have any!?"

Bengali glared at him. "Of course I have an idea!"

"Then say it!"

Lynx-O stepped in just then, deciding now wasn't the time to be arguing. "Boys," he said, getting between the younger Thundercats. "You're getting off focus here. If nobody else has a plan to get into Castle Plun-Dar we'll just have to go with mine, all right?"

The two looked at the blind Thundercat and they both said. "Right..." though neither of them sounded too happy about it.

"All right then," Lynx-O said. "Let's get moving."

* * *

The first thing besides the wicked machine that Mumm-Ra noticed when the Erisians entered the room was the tall male Erisian standing in front of the machine. This one stared the lich right in the eye when he met his gaze and refused to stop staring him down until he looked away. Mumm-Ra didn't feel the same hostility coming from him as he did from the bounty hunter who had some kind of vendetta against him but he also could tell this guy couldn't be reasoned with either.

The male Erisian walked toward them, his blank, white eyes still on Mumm-Ra's red ones. He didn't address him though, he addressed the bounty hunter. "I see you allowed him to stay in one piece for once," he remarked.

The bounty hunter smirked. "I can control myserlf," they remarked. "It's just that this creature here has been getting on my nerves since I first encountered him."

The other Erisian frowned. 'Indeed." and he turned his full attention on Mumm-Ra reaching out a long fingered hand to grab the undead wizard's face.

Mumm-Ra let out a hiss and jerked backward. "Don't touch me!" he growled.

The hunter moved as if to strike him but the taller Erisian stopped her. "It's fine," he told her before saying to Mumm-Ra. "It would be wise of you to simply comply with everything."

Mumm-Ra glared at him, baring his saw-like teeth at the male alien. "I will not allow myself to be subservant to your kind," he said venoumously. "and I refuse to be your battery for that thing over there either!"

The Erisian frowned at him. "Unfortunately for you you don't have any choice in the matter when it comes to that," he remarked. "So I would advice you to get used to the idea."

"Never!" he hissed.

"Shame."

Mumm-Ra didn't think so and glared at the being defiantly. Did this thing really believbe he would just sit back and allow therm to put him inside that thing? It wasn't going to happen if he could help it!

The male Erisian spoke again. "Maybe you don't understand what is going to happen to tyou," he began. "and whether you like it or not it's going to happen, even if you fight us. You see this device runs on evil energy. We have tried using other forms of it but as those evil beings are mortal the power did not last long. It took us awhile but once we learned of you and the fact that you can't die we needed to get you."

Mumm-Ra's eyes flashed a deep crimson as he asked. "Why?!"

"It doesn't really matter," the erisian responded. "Not to you anyway, but I'll tell you just the same, seeing as there's really nothing that will change with you knowing. " he turned to the machine behind them, raising a hand as he began to explain everything.

* * *

Cheetara stood, leaning over Panthro's computer screen as he tried pinpointing a new location for them to land the Fe-Liner. What should have been an easy task was proving to be much harder than thought due to the planet's constant moving cloud cover. So far very few places were even considered to be good landing locations.

"Why don't we just land on one of the landing strips they have down there?" Snarf finally asked them. "I mean if any of those creatures decide to go after us when we do we can just fight them off, snarf snarf."

"Because we don't want them to know we're here until after we get Mumm-Ra out of there," Lion-O explained to him. "If they find out we're here and why they will make sure we can't get him back."

"Oh. snarf snarf..."

"We might not have any other alternative," Panthro said just then. "Most of the planet except for the area we'd picked up earlier, seems to be inhabited with what looks like some kind of bee hive." he pointed at the images on the screen. "Look at these buildings. I can't tell where they begin or where they end, it's a total maze."

The other Thunderats joined him around the screen to get a look. From what they could make out the entire arcitecture of the planet seemed to be merged in some kind of large bee hive or anthill, it was all very strange and surreal.

Tygra whistled and commented. "What a mess. How do these people even get around in that ladyrinth?"

"Probably very easily since chaos seems to be the norm for these creatures," Lion-O remarked. "They probably think our way of designing buildings is a mess."

Pumyra sighed, pulling away to rub her temples. The sight of the planet's buildings was giving her a headache. "We sure have our work cut out for us," she remarked. "I just hope your sixth sense powers will make finding Mumm-Ra easier, Cheetara."

Cheetara nodded, looking at the younger female. "It should," she confirmed. "It might be the only way we'll be able to find him."

"But the problem is still finding a place to land," Panthro told them. "You can try to find him all you want with your sixth sense, Cheetara, but it won't help us if we can't land."

"What about there?" Tygra suddenly exclaimed, pointing toward the computer screen. "By those spires."

Panthro zoomed on to where the tiger Thundercat was pointing. He noticed there seemed to be a section around the spires where a ship the size of the Fe-Liber could land. He also noticed that the buildings in that area were darkened and seemed to lack any kind of activity, as if they had been abandoned. "Hmm, I think we just found the perfect place to touch down..."

* * *

"Long ago our people were known throughout the universe as strong and powerful beings," the tall Erisian began his story. "We had everything anyone could want. Wealth, fame, and many worlds under our authority. Of course We didn't gain this fame without conquaring other worlds but that was hardly a problem, as our ancestors had the perfect way of keeping those under them in check." he waved his hand over at the evice. "To keep the status queo they needed something to serve as a constant reminder to the lower beings that they should not even think of trying to overthrow them."

The Erisian started pacing, glancing back at Mumm-Ra every once in awhile as he continued his tale. "That reminder came in the form of this." he gestured at the device once more. "A machine created with the sole purpose of destroying stars.." he smiled slightly. "Maybe you're aware of such a thing, or maybe not, seeing as during the time you were a mortal being your kind were still riding chariots and using incline plains."

Mumm-Ra ignored the insult to his heritage, knowing getting upset about it would only make things worse for him. If he stayed silent this big blowhard would finish his story quicker and he would finally have the answers for all the questions plaguing his mind.

"Of course it worked for awhile, thousands of years in fact, but only as long as the machine was powered and back then that wasn't such a problem." he paused, frowning. "and then it happened. Creatures from one of the planets set to be put under our rule fought back, summoning their champion of swordsmanship and magic to rise up and challenge our rule. The champion made his way through anything our ancestors threw his way until he reached his destination."

The Ersian looked right at him as he said this. "He severed the power of the device, removing all that kept it stable and ensured it could not be used ever again. This being done, he then destroyed the power structure, forever reducing us and our planet to nothing more than a memory."

Mumm-Ra smirked at him, but made no remark as he felt what happened back then was something they deserved.

The Erisian continued. "Time passed and we tried to bring the planet back to it's former glory, even making attempts to power the device. But there was a problem with that and I'm sure you know what that is."

Sure he did, since both the bounty hunter and this man himself had already told him.

"The device was run by evil energy and that energy used to come in the forms of stones. However the champion from the planet had destroyed the stones and banished their fragments to a world we could not reach. We were forced to try alternative sources, but all failed as no matter how evil something was it was mortal and could no longer power the device after their death." he sighed and shook his head. "and unfortunately the device only served to shorter the lifespan of these beings to mere seconds. We spent hundreds of years looking for something more permanent and just as we were about to give up we found one."

Here he stopped and faced Mumm-Ra full on, pointing a long, thin finger right into his face. "You."

Mumm-Ra glared at him, having come to the conclusion of the story before the man had finished. "And did you expect me to simply agree to help you and become a willing battery to your little doomsday device?" he demanded.

"We were hoping, yes," the Erisian responded, once more attempting to stare him down. "However you chose to make things more complicated than they needed to be by resisting every step of the way." he raised a hand. "even now you stubbornly refuse which only forces us to try more and more brutal means of convincing you." he turned around, hands behind his back and he walked toward the device. "but the time of convincg you is over and you no longer have a say in the matter."

Meaning they were going to put him into that thing whether he wanted it or not. "I will _not_ be your battery," he hissed at him. "and you will not force me into it!"

"You will," the Erisian told him.

"I will not!" his eyes glared a dangerous full red and his hands, still secured behind his back started sparking. He was weak and low on power but he didn't care. If he had to use up what little he had and reduce his own body into dust he would, just to prevent these god complexed aliens from using him to do their will. "and the fact you believed I would willingly or unwilling become subswervant to you and that machine shows just how foolish you are!"

Erisi the bounty hunter noticed what was going on with him and, having past experience with this kind of thing, acted quickly. She pulled out what looked like a cattle prod and shoved in cruely into his side, sending an electrical spark through the lich which broke his concentration and caused him to cry out in pain and fall writhing to the floor.

The tall Erisian continued as if the previous moment never happened. "As I said," he responded, staring down at Mumm-Ra as he lay twtiching on the floor. "You don't have a choice."

Even through his pain, the undead wizard managed to cast his hateful glare on the tall male Erisian which took it with hardly a reaction. The male turned his attention back onto the bounty hunters and the two smaller Erisians. "Take him back to the cell and have the science team prep him for syncronization."

* * *

"Any ideas yet?" Whileykit asked Ma-Mmutt after an hour had passed. The dog looked up and her and let out a whine. She sighed. "Yeah, that's what I figured."

She got up, looking out the window in the cell, out at the courtyard. She wondered if Whileykat had gotten to the others in time to tell them what had happened? Would they be there soon? Would she even need to try escaping herself? Should she try anyway, just in canse they couldn't get to her?

"What do you think, Ma-Mutt?" she asked, turning to the dog. "Want to try getting out of here?"

The mummy dog looked at her and, wagging his tail, let out a short bark.

Kit smiled and knelt down to pat his head. "Good boy," she said. "Now, let's see if we can put our heads together and figure out a way out of here."

* * *

Lynx-O, Bengali, and Whileykat boarded the Thunderstrike and then the blind Thundercat piloted the ship toward Castle Plun-Dar, touching down a safe distance from the structure to avoid being spotted. As they climbed out of the ship they discussed their plan of action. Whileykat still wasn't happy about the idea but since he couldn't think of anything better he kept quiet as the two older Thundercats talked.

In fact he was so annoyed with them he started toward the castle by himself. He wanted his sister back and he was going to get her out by himself if he had to. There was no sense waiting any longer. Who knew what those Mutants were doing to Kit?

Kat didn't even want to think about it. He hadn't gotten very far when Bengali hissed after him, his voice gruff. "Kat! Get back here!"

The Thunderkitten looked back at him. The tiger Thundercat stood there, arms folded and a disapproving look on his face. Whileykat very nearly took off running toward the castle just to get back at him for being so bossy and controlling but he decided against it. Doing so would probably give them away and then they'd be of no use to Kit. Instead he let out a sigh and headed back toward the adults.

"What did you think you were doing?" Bengali demanded in a harsh whisper. "Do you want to give us away?"

"No," the young Thundercat replied, looking downward. "But you two are taking too long and I don't want Kit to have to wait." he pointed to the castle. "She's waiting for us, I just want to help her."

"We know, Whileykat," Lynx-o said, placing a hand on the young cat's shoulder. "But you have to be patient. There's no need to run headlong into trouble because you want to save your sister."

"I know..." he felt bad now. "I'm sorry."

The elder patted his shoulder and smiled. "Now, why don't we go save Whileykit?"

* * *

Crack!

Mumm-Ra took the blow hard in the face, the force of it knocking him off his feet and hard onto the floor of the cell. The bounty hunter, who'd been left alone with him, stood over him, her hand balled into a fist. She stomped her foot down her on his head, pinning him to the floor.

"You foolish, mummy," she growled. "Did you believe your little stunt in front of Culdor would give you your freedom? Please tell me you're not that stupid!"

His red eyes glowed as he glared up at her, ignoring her foot pinning him down, defiant. She frowned, not liking what she was seeing. He hadn't spoken a word but something about the look he was giving her gave her an uneasy feeling which she should not be getting from somebody as helpless at him.

Angry, she kicked him in the side and he grunted as he was rolled onto his stomach. She was on him in an instant. sitting on his chest and pointing her blade at his neck. "I'm only going to say this once. If I were you I'd give up on even trying to get out of here. You're not going to escape here. You're story ends the moment you're inserted into that machine and then nothing is going to get you out. You're going to power it and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

He looked her right in the eyes and for some reason he smiled at her. "Then what are you so afraid of?" and then he began to laugh.

Irisi's face twitched and she gritted her teeth in anger. First he scared her and now he was _laughing_ at her! Just like he'd done back on Third Earth. She very nearly severed his head from his body but held herself back. There was no way she would do that. They'd spent so much time getting him there and if she killed him it would all be for nothing. Her knife rested on his neck a little longer then she pulled away, standing up and glaring down at him before she yanked him to his feet and angrily thrust him into the sarcophagus.

Then without another word she yanked the lid closed, muting his laughter behind the thick stone.

* * *

"I think I've got an idea!"

Ma-Mutt looked up at Whileykit in what could only be described as a curious expression. She smiled and patted his head. "But to pull it off I'm going to need yo to do me a favor, do you think you can accomplish it?"

The dog started to wag his tail and she grinned. "Okay, boy then here it is." she sat back and took some ear plugs out of the pouch around her waist. "I'm going to need you to howl. Howl loud and long and don't stop until one of those Mutants comes in to see what's going on. Think you can do that?"

The dog wagged his tail harder and let out a short back. She chuckled, putting the ear plugs into her ears, then said. "All righty then. Get to it, my harmonious hound."

Ma-Mutt threw back his head and began to howl as loudly as he could. While he did this Whileykit set about getting a trap ready. She chuckled to herself as she did.

It shouldn't take long now.

* * *

'What in the world is that racket?!" Slithe demanded, hearing the mummified dog's loud howling echoing throughout the castle.

"Don't look at me!" Jackalman exclaimed. "I haven't howled at anything in years!"

"Nobody was saying it was you," the lizard mutant remarked in an annoyed tone. "But I do want you and everyone in in this place to find out where that yowling is coming from and make it stop!"

When nobody moved he shouted. "Why are you all still standing there! Get to it!"

The other mutants in the room took off to search for the source of the sound, leaving Slithe alone in the main hall in mere seconds.

"That's better."

* * *

"I warned you," Irisi said to Culdor once she'd returned to the machine chamber. "You really think I was just making it all up?"

The male Erisian wasn't in the mood for a game of 'I told you so' and simply turned to her. "Perhaps," he remarked. "But it doesn't change anything."

"Of course it doesn't," she snapped. "I wouldn't think him flipping out like that would do anything like that. If you'd have changed your mind because of such a minor thing I would have had to question everything I knew about you."

"It's a shame we couldn't convince him otherwise." he sighed.

Irisi sneered. "Highly doubtful of that ever happening. No after everything we've put him through."

"True," he agreed. "But it doesn't matter now. Go retrieve him in a few hours and make sure the science team has prepped him before hand. It's about time we got this over with."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Jackalman and the other Mutants followed the howling sound through the castle, getting closer and closer as they made their way toward the dungeon. It seemed to be coming from that direction but drawing that conclusion didn't make any of the mutants feel any better. They were all looking at one another nervously then at Jackalman, as if they expected him to be able to tell them what to do.

What in the world did they even _want_ him to say?! That the voice of the damned wasn't really what they thought it was and it wouldn't hurt them when they finally found it? Even _he_ didn't believe that!

What if it was an evil spirit? he asked himself. What if it was a dead Third Earth creature that came back to exact revenge on the Mutants for some past wrong they'd done to it?

 _I hope not._

He needn't worry but he didn't know that and he wouldn't know that until it was too late. They weren't too far from the cell where Whileykit and Ma-Mutt were put in, but with the way Jackalman and his mutant companions were feeling it didn't click right away that was where the sounds were coming from.

"Sir Jackalman," one of the mutants spoke up just then, making him jump.

" _What?!"_ he exclaimed, turning around.

The other mutant flinched, practically hiding behind his comrades. "I-I think it's coming from in there." He pointed toward Whileykit and Ma-Mutt's cell.

Jackalman looked where he was pointing. The howling did indeed seem to be emiting from inside that cell. He put a finger to his lips as an indication to keep quiet and then as one, he and the mutants with him slowly sneaked toward the door of the cell.

Once he was just outside the door he paused. One of the mutants coming up behind him walked right into him, having not noticed he'd stopped and nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around and glared at him. "Watch where you're going!" he hissed.

"Sorry," the other mutant apologized, backing away from him.

Jackalman gave them all a long, scolding ,look then reached out his hand to touch the doorknob. The instant he did another loud howl pierced the air and he yelped, backing away from the door. Behind him the other mutants panicked and took off back the way they came, leaving him all alone in the hall.

"Come back!" he called after them. "Stop being such cowards!"

Who was he calling cowardly anyway? he asked himself. He wasn't much braver than the others, but unlike them, he _had_ to discover what was making the noise. He couldn't just run away because he knew if he did Slithe would give him a major earful about it and that was the last thing he wanted now.

With that in mind he turned back to the door, gripping the spear he held and swallowing nervously. Time to do it, he had to do it. Pushing his fear out of his mind he faced the door and reached out to undo the lock.

Once he'd unlocked it he stepped inside, slowly and cautiously, looking around the room. He saw nothing inside, the room was empty. For a moment he stood there, confused but then he heard a sound above him and looked up just in time to see Whileykit and Ma-Mutt come flying down at him. Before he had time to scream Whileykit stuffed the gag he'd used on her inside his mouth and then she and the dog knocked him to the floor and unconscious.

After Kit had him securely tied she stood up, rubbing off her hands. "That should take care of him," she said, grinning at Ma-mutt who wagged his tail. "Now, let's get out of here!"

She then rushed out of the cell with Mumm-ra's dog and then closed and locked the door after them before the two took off down the hall and hopefully toward the exit.

* * *

Mumm-Ra had gone to sleep after the bounty hunter had stuffed him back into his sarcophagus. He couldn't say he wasn't happy about that because it meant he could try to regain more energy before they came back to force him to be their power source, which he knew would be soon. He was going to take as much time as possible to recharge himself so he could actually fight them properly and get away so it wouldn't happen.

If they wanted to make him do their bidding they would have a fight on their hands, he wasn't going to go down easily.

Resting wasn't the problem, _dreaming_ was. Though he was no stranger to nightmares the ones he was being subjected to since arriving on the planet Eris were testing his endurance limitations. Having learned new things about what the Erisian beings intended to do with the device and it's true purpose his dreams grew worse and filled with violence. He could see them forcing him to destroy stars, exterminating billions of planets including the one that gave light and life to Third Earth, completely irradiating his own home. What was worse was that even after this the whole dream ended the exact same way it had previously when the Erisians took him see their leader.

With the utter destruction of the entire universe.

When he woke up it was nearly identical to the last time except this time he didn't panic because he didn't know where he was or how he got there. At least this time he didn't wake up to Erisians, at least for the time being anyway. It would give him some time to decide what to do, go back to sleep or try to escape from here.

How would he escape anyway? His hands were still tied and he could feel that his energy was still dangerously low. He was too weak to do anything.

Which only left one final option. Trying to get back to sleep, that is if he actually could manage such a thing given the state he was currently in. But he would try. Mumm-Ra's eyes grew dark as he tried to get back to sleep, though it was extremely difficult. A nightmare awaited him no matter what he did. Luckily the ones in his dreams he could escape, he couldn't escape the ones plaguing his reality.

But he couldn't fall asleep, he was now too high strung to do so. The only thing he could do now was rest in his sarcophagus and wait until one of those Erisians came to take him away. Hopefully he'd still be able to get some energy while he waited.

What's the point anyway? He thought to himself. Even if he _did_ get more energy it wouldn't be enough to enable him to transform. He wasn't even sure if he could even do such a thing so far from Third Earth and the Ancient Spirits of Evil, two of which that bounty hunter who'd become a nightmare to him in her own right, had destroyed. It was just pointless now. Everything was pointless.

No! He couldn't think that way! He had to get out of there! It was unacceptable for him to just give up and let them do whatever they wanted with him!

But how? The question kept on coming back to him and like always he had no way of answering it. He just could not come up with anything no matter how hard he tried.

But maybe he shouldn't be trying so hard? Maybe if he just stopped trying something would come to him? What did he have to lose by doing so? Nothing, that's what.

Mumm-Ra sighed, allowing himself a moment to relax, now if only he could get those cuffs off his wrists...

000

The science team was more than ready to get Mumm-Ra and have him prepped for synchronization with the device. The bounty hunter noticed they were practically salivating at the prospect of doing so, not that she was any better, the sooner he was inside it the less of a problem he would be. She wouldn't have to worry about that annoying mummy anymore after that. Once he was in he would never be getting out.

As they headed to the cell where the mummy was being kept the trio of scientists chattered away excitedly in Erisian, their words such a jumbled mess Irisi couldn't make heads or tails of what they were saying. Not that she cared anyway. If it meant the mummy would be suffering it was fine with her.

 _Hopefully it doesn't take too long,_ she thought.

A few moments later the group reached the cell and after the bounty hunter unlocked the door they all stepped inside. The Erisian scientists looked around, as if wondering where he was, until she pointed to the stone sarcophagus resting against the wall to the left. They then began to chatter excitedly again and went to poke and prod the stone coffin like a bunch of little children being shown a toy for the first time.

The bounty hunter sighed and leaned against the wall, arms folded as she watched them without a word. She wished they'd hurry up with it, as she was not in the mood to be wasting time with useless stuff. However she kept her mouth shut as not to tick off the scientists who didn't take too kindly to people getting in the way of anything they did.

So she continued to watch them, growing more and more impatient the longer they took to just get everything taken care of, they weren't even trying to open the sarcophagus which only served to irritate her further. If they kept this up he'd be able to regain enough of his power to be a problem again, then how was she going to be able to explain anything to his superior?

There was no need for her to worry any longer as the three Erisians finished up whatever it was they were doing and then got to the task at hand, each putting their hands on the lid of the stone coffin and slowly pulling it open. She watched them, placing a hand on her weapon, just in case Mumm-Ra decided to pull something when they had it completely open.

Irisi needn't worry too much, Mumm-Ra was still restrained when she could see him again. The look on his face when his ruby-red eyes fell on the trio of Erisian scientists was priceless and she couldn't help smiling at his reaction. This was going to be very entertaining.

"Rise and shine, Mumm-Ra," she said, pushing herself away from the wall and coming toward him. "It's time to get up and face your destiny!"

* * *

Cheetara had returned to the sleep quarters to be by herself and do some thinking. They would be landing on the planet very soon and then they would be able to retrieve Mumm-Ra and return to Third Earth. She knew it wouldn't be easy and she also knew the others, due to her link with the undead wizard, would expect her to lead them to him. She didn't know how well she'd be able to do that.

Finding him wasn't the only problem. Retrieving his sarcophagus was another. The Thundercats had noticed that it was missing which meant the person who'd taken him also had the coffin which meant they wouldn't be just tasked him finding him but that as well and that would prove even harder to do than finding Mumm-Ra himself!

The female Thundercat knew she would have to tell Lion-O about this, making him aware of the issue. They would have to split up into two groups when they landed, one to rescue Mumm-Ra and the other to find the mummy's sarcophagus. She just hoped Thundercat lord would be willing to agree to this proposition.

Well, she wasn't going to get her answer sitting there and doing nothing, time for her to get her spotted butt in gear and go find Lion-O. She just hoped once this was taken into consideration, that whatever he decided wouldn't end up with them failing in their mission.

 _Why am I thinking that?_ she asked herself, as she got up from the chair she'd seated herself in. He knows what he's doing. He's never failed us before and it's doubtful that he will start now.

* * *

Lion-O was more than a little curious when Cheetara had entered the control room and took him aside, insisting that she had something very important she needed to discuss with him.

"What's the matter?" he asked her once they were in the corridor of the ship away from the other Thundercats.

"It's about when we land," she began and then started to tell him all about their other problem they would have to deal with once they actually touched down on the planet. Lion-O said nothing, wondering why he hadn't bothered thinking about this sooner. She was right, they did have a problem with finding the sarcophagus. The female Thundercat was only mentally linked to the owner, not the coffin itself which had no feelings or emotions anyway, seeing as it wasn't a living thing.

"You're right," he said when she'd finished. "I never even thought about that."

"So what are we going to do?" she wanted to know.

"I think your suggestion of us splitting up and looking for it is a good idea," he told her. "It might take some time to actually find it but it's important that we do. We can't rescue him and leave it here. I know he won't allow us to do it, even in the shape he'll most likely be in." he sighed and rubbed his forehead. "and here I was hoping things wouldn't get anymore complicated."

"Sorry," she said, giving him a look that said she indeed was.

"It's not your fault," he told her. "You didn't steal his sarcophagus. " he sighed and punched the wall out of frustration. "By jaga, why do things have to be so complicated?! It's bad enough we have to come here to rescue our most powerful enemy but now we also have to go on a wild goose chase just to find the source of all of his power!"

Cheetara put her hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay," she told him. "We have plenty of people to look for it. Why don't you and I look for Mumm-Ra ourselves and the others look for the sarcophagus?"

The Thundercat Lord thought about that for a moment then nodded. turning back to her. "That sounds like a good idea," he responded. "Let's head back to the control room and let the others know."

She nodded then followed him back down the hall.

* * *

Things just couldn't get any worse, Bengali was thinking as he, Lynx-O and Whileykat drew closer to castle Plun-Dar. First the kittens let the mutants know that the other Thundercats had left, then they go back outside when they were told not to, and now Whileykit was their prisoner and they had to go and rescue her.

 _What next?_ he asked himself. How could this day get any worse?

Then he had to scold himself for asking such a thing. He knew that whenever someone asked that it always got worse. Hopefully this time it wouldn't end that way, but it was too early to know. He'd find out soon enough, though.

The white tiger Thundercat looked on at the Mutant's castle, trying to get a good idea where to come in a. While they were going to enter through the water ways actually knowing where they were going to show up in there was a bit of a problem. They might wind up coming out anywhere in that place and one of those places might just be the worst one to show up in. Light right in the middle of the Mutant's dining hall.

He swore inwardly. Just what they didn't need.

"Okay," Lynx-O said after a moment. "Let's get this over with and get Whileykit out of there, be careful though. We don't want to wind up being caught ourselves."

"That means no playing the hero," Bengali said, looking right at Whileykat as he said this.

The Thunderkitten glared back at him, as if offended that Bengali would even suggest such a thing and direct his attention on him as he said it.

The older Thundercat seemed to sense the tension between the two and spoke up before an argument could start up between the two. "Come on, you two," he said, grabbing an arm of both. "No sense waiting any longer." with a tug he drug the two toward the water before either could say anything more.

Getting inside was actually much easier than the Tthundercats had thought it would be. Maybe the Mutants weren't expecting them after all or they were and they were allowing them to come in easily so they could ambush them? None of the Tthundercats could answer that question and therefore nobody even asked it. It was best they just take advantage of this stroke of luck and roll with it, dealing with whatever price there was when it came.

"Now, be as quiet as possible," Lynx-O cautioned the younger Thundercats. "We don't want to alert the Mutants of our presence. We just want to get Whileykit and get out of here before any of them are even aware we were even here, understood?"

The other two nodded, indicating they did.

"All right then," he paused to listen carefully. "I don't hear anyone near us so it's safe to keep moving, stay close, though." he cautioned before moving down the hall with the other two following close behind.

They hadn't gone very far when Lynx-O suddenly said. "Wait a minute." as he stopped dead in his tracks.

The other two Thundercats weren't expecting that and walked into him, nearly knocking him over. "What did you-" Bengali began to say before the older Thundercat hissed. "Shhh!"

The white tiger fell silent, allowing the other of listen carefully, his ears moving slightly as his heightened hearing senses picked up on sounds the other two couldn't hear.

"What is it?" Whileykat asked, in a low voice. "What do you hear?"

Lynx-O, saying nothing, moved down the hall. The other two Thundercats looked at each other with confused looks on their faces and then followed after him, wondering what in the world was going on with their older companion.

The trio made their way cautiously and carefully in the direction of the voices the elder Thundercat was hearing. He led them down a long hallway and then he came to another stop making the other two stop with him. Now they could all hear the voices the elder had, it sounded like Slithe, Monkian, and Vultureman were having a conversation about something.

"It won't be much longer now, yess," Slithe was saying. "All we need to do is take care of the other three Thundercats and then this planet will be ours."

"But what about Mumm-Ra?" Vultureman wanted to know. "surely he will come back."

Slithe's voice took on a tone of absolute certainty. "If Jackalman is to be believed, he's never coming back. Those Erisians will make sure of that. We have no need to worry."

Erisians? Lynx-O turned his head back to the other two who were standing behind him. He couldn't see them, being blind, but he knew they were there. "It seems they know about the beings that took Mumm-Ra after all," he whispered to them.

Bengali and Whileykat exchanged looks. If they knew everything about the Erisians and how they worked this only further complicated things. Lynx-O was more worried about the confidence Slithe had said those words. Just what were Lion-O and the others about to get themselves into?

Now wasn't the time to worry about that, he reminded himself, they had to focus on rescuing Whileykit and the mutants conversation had just given the blind Thundercat an idea.

* * *

Mumm-Ra knew from the moment he saw the Erisians in the lab coats he wouldn't like them and the way they treated him only solidified it. They swarmed around him, chatting away in their insane language as they poked and prodded him like he was nothing more than a piece of meat. He wanted to tell them to get their hands off him but he was pretty sure they didn't understand his language anyway and his demands would have fallen on deaf ears even if they did.

He noticed the bounty hunter, who was standing by the door with her arms folded, was watching the entire event taking place with sick amusement. His anger began to boil up again, overshadowing the mortified feeling he'd gotten from the pesky scientist Erisians poking and prodding and grabbing things they shouldn't. His eyes flared crimson as he thought of nothing else right then than removing her head from her body.

 _Go ahead, laugh now, but soon you'll be doing it out of the other side of your face!_

The hunter noticed the change in his eyes and began to say something to the scientists who paused in their molestation and then looked back at him. When they saw what she saw they began to chatter away even faster. One of them pointed right into his face, nearly poking him in the eye as it turned to direct its comments at the bounty hunter. She responded back to them, chattering away a rather short explanation, or he thought that was what she was doing, as he didn't even know what in the moons of Saturn they were even discussing, aside from it obviously being about him.

Finally the bounty hunter cut them off and pointed back to him and then to the door, making it pretty clear by her factual expressions that they didn't have time to be standing around and needed to get him moving.

Mumm-ra didn't want to get moving but whether they took their time or not he'd eventually get there and he had no way of preventing it. So why was she in such a hurry anyway? It wasn't like there was anybody coming to rescue him.

Whatever she was saying the scientists seemed to realize they needed to hurry up and they quickly turned back to him, yanking him right out pf the open sarcophagus and throwing him somewhat roughly to the floor where they then proceeded to rather painful get him ready for being put into the device.

The undead wizard didn't like this and cried out when one of them showed a needle right into his left eye. He reacted to this by kicking said scientist across the room. The other scientists started laughing at this for a brief period before doubling their preparation, making it much more painful than it should have been. By the time they were finished with it he was in complete agony and nearly unconscious from the pain.

This completed, the scientists pulled him back to his feet and marched the half conscious mummy out of the cell and back toward the room where the device was waiting.

 _A/N_

 _I am honestly trying to finish this story up. There's not much else left so I won't try to drag it out. the next chapter will be much longer so it might take awhile before I finish it._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Mumm-Ra could feel the machine pulling on him as he was led by the female bounty hunter and the scientists back to the room where the piece of technology was kept. He was feeling more and more desperate as he knew his time was running out and he'd thought of no way to get out of this mess. His mind was blank and he was completely out of hope. No one was coming to help him and he was just going to have to accept that. But he was not willing to do this. This was not how it was going to end for him.

As he was led along, he tried concentrating whatever remained of his magic but he just didn't have enough and whatever spell he'd been working on fizzled out before it even was fully completed. He'd used up way too much previously and he was never inside his sarcophagus long enough to adequately replenish it.

Ahead was the door to the room where the machine was waiting. He gritted his teeth, swearing under his breath. The hunter seemed to have heard him though and she looked at him, grinning that sinister, needle teeth, grin. She started to hum a song that made him feel completely unsettled. It sounded like a funeral dirge.

Mumm-Ra knew why she was doing it, she was doing it to make him feel even worse, since she knew as well as he did there wasn't going to be anybody that would come for him. Even if that was true; she didn't have to rub it in! But what did he expect from her, seeing as through this entire ordeal was make sure he was as miserable as possible, and how he wished there would be something that would happen at the last second to change everything even if that something was him turning into dust.

Fat chance that happening. Even if he did he'd just regenerate, seeing as everything on this planet just leaked evil.

The bounty hunter moved ahead of the scientists to open the door, once she had, they all went inside. The taller male Erisian he'd met the previous day was inside, waiting, his back to them, hands behind his back and his attention on the machine that some more erisians were busy working on. When he heard them come in, he turned his attention to the five and walked over so he wouldn't have to shout at the hunter and the scientists holding onto their unwilling prisoner. The male Erisian began to talk to the scientists in the Erisian language, leaving the undead wizard to only take guesses at what they were saying.

Moments later the three scientist Erisians pulled him forward after the taller one had finished speaking and moved out of their way. As they drew near Mumm-Ra became aware that the other beings in the room had stopped and all turned to look at him, each one sporting that same sinister smile.

* * *

The Thundercats had finally found place to set the Fe-liner down where they would be very unlikely to be spotted. As they all stepped out of the ship, the group became aware of the fact that the place was unsettling quiet even though even in the deserted area they'd chosen, sounds of activity on other parts of the planet would have been very easy to pick up on. But.. there was nothing.

"I don't like this," Panthro remarked as he looked around. "Something just tells me something just isn't right about any of this."

The other cats had to agree. There was just a very disturbing air about it. "Try using the sword," Pumyra suggested to Lion-O. "Maybe you'll be able to find out what's happening."

The lord of the thundercats nodded his head putting the sword up to his eyes and commanding the weapon to give him sight beyond sight. But just as he did so there was a rumbling that quickly grew louder causing the ground to begin to shake, knocking them all off balance.

"Wh-What's going on, snarf snarf?!" Snarf exclaimed, grabbing onto Tygra's leg, trying to prevent himself from falling over.

"An earthquake?" Lion-O guessed as he put his hand on the side of the ship to steady himself.

"No!" Cheetara exclaimed her eyes widening in horror. "It's Mumm-Ra!"

They all looked at her. "What happening?" Tygra asked her.

She grabbed her head, losing her balance and falling to the ground. "They're-" she screamed and slumped over, unconscious.

"Cheetara!" Panthro knelt down beside her with Pumyra to check on her. Pumyra looked up at the others. "She's fainted. I don't know what she saw but it must have been bad."

Lion-O was pretty certain about what it was that had caused her to react that way. She'd mentioned Mumm-Ra so this shaking of the planet meant something bad was happening to him. "Come on," he said to the other thundercats. "We have to hurry!"

The others nodded and he took off, Panthro quickly gathered Cheetara up into his arms and then he and the others quickly followed after their leader.

* * *

Lynx-O quickly explained his plan in depth to the two younger Thundercats. They listened intently, though both were unsure about the success of the plan, even though neither questioned it.

Whileycat however went from unsure to smiling as the older Thundercat got into more detail. After awhile he was nodding to the plan while Bengali still looked unsure. The whole plan seemed rather infantile to him but he kept his mouth shut.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked Lynx-O one he'd finished.

The blind elder nodded. "Mutants are superstitious and from what we just learned very worried about the return of the beings that had taken Mumm-Ra," he reminded his young friend. "If we trick them into believing the Erisians have come back they will not cause us anymore trouble for awhile."

"All right..." Bengali gave in. "I just hope your plan works."

"Don't be so worried, Bengali,"" Whileykat said to him and he pulled some pellets out of the pouch on his belt. "This is going to be fun!"

* * *

"What in the moons of Plun-Dar is taking Jackalman so long?!" Slithe complained to the other mutant in the main hall. "He should have been back by now."

"I don't know, Slithe," Monkian replied from hkis seat on the other side of the table. "But whatever he's doing it seems like he managed to make whatever it was that was making that racket stop."

"Yes, he has," the lizard mutant agreed, thoughtful. "But I want to know what it was that was causing it. I can't have my men believing that there are evil spirits wandering the halls and-"

"Shhhh!" Monkian suddenly cut im off. "Did you hear that?"

Not again. Slithe frowned at his companion and started to say something when the power suddenly went out.

"Yikes!" Monkian exclaimed, nearly jumping on top of his commanding officer in surprise. "What was that!?"

Slithe started to say something but a loud noise prevented him from doing so. Monkian was practically climbing his fellow mutant now as he began to panic. Slithe heard him squealing. "Something's coming to get us!"

"Get off me!" Slithe commanded, grabbing onto him and trying to pry him off. "It was probably just the wind, yes!"

"Is that the wind too?!" Monkian exclaimed, pointing toward the door.

"What?" Slithe managed to get his comrade off his head just in time to see a bright light in the hall slowly coming toward the open doorway of the meeting hall where the two mutants were now occupying. "What the-"

"Mutants!" a big, booming, disembodied voice called out. "I know you are here, come out, don't hide from us!"

Slithe's eyes widened, as Monkian began making nonsensical primate sounds in a blind panic, completely terrified by the voice. "What-"

"We know you finish what we started!" the voice called out. "Be prepared to meet your maker!"

"They're going to kill us!" Monkian shrieked looking like he was about to have a major panic attack.

The mutant leader had to ask. "Who are you?"

"We are the beings your comrade called Jackalman talked about! We are the Erisians!"

* * *

Whiletkit and Ma-Mutt were further down the hall when they heard screaming and the female thunderkitten noticed movement out the window to her right. she glanced out and spotted both Slithe and Monkian flying out the window, screaming their heads off as they plummeted to the ground below.

"What in the world was _that_ about?" she asked, looking down at her canine companion.

Ma-Mutt just looked back at her, unable to give her any answer even if he could talk.

Oh well, it didn't matter. She turned her attention away from the window and continued down the hall, no longer worried about being caught by anybody, seeing as the last two creatures that could have given her trouble had decided to bail out for reasons she couldn't even begin to figure out.

* * *

Lion-O and the others had come across a slightly more populated part of the city so they had to be a little more careful about being spotted. By then the planetary shaking had died down so they had found a small alleyway to rest briefly as they tried to figure out their next move. Panthro had set Cheetara down so Pumyra check on her.

"I'm fine now," the cheetah Thundercat, who'd regianed consciousness by then, assured her. "It's gone now."

"What happened?" Tygra asked her, still looking worried.

She was silent for a moment, giving herself some time to recall what she had seen. "I don't remember," she finally said. "It was too fast for me to get an idea on what it was."

The others looked at one another but said nothing instead Panthro asked her. "You think you're well enough to walk?"

She nodded at him, "Yes, I'm okay," she told him. "Let's go. We still have to find Mumm-Ra and get him out of here before something bad happens."

"That's the hard part," Tygra remarked, looking around at the city and the Erisians wandering around. "He could be _anywhere_."

"Cheetara, can you figure out where he is?" Lion-O asked, looking down at the female Thundercat. "Can you use your sixth sense to find him?"

"Lion-O," Pumyra spoke up, frowning at him. "She's still recovering, give her a chance to feel better before making her use her powers again."

Panthro spoke up before the two could argue about it. "While Cheetara is recovering why don't we figure out what we're going to do next?" he suggested. "We have two things we need to find while we're here. Mumm-Ra himself and his sarcophagus. Let's decide now who is going to do what, okay?"

The others looked at him and then Lion-O nodded. "You're right," he said. "Now would be a good time to figure things out before we do anything else."

Tygra nodding, leaned back against the wall of a house to think for a moment, looking at one Thundercat to the next as he considered their options. He knew Cheetara would have to go with whomever went to find Mumm-Ra as she was the only one who had a link to him which enabled her to see what he could see, however briefly. Finding the sarcophagus would be harder unless they managed to capture one of the Erisians and force them to show them where it was located. He glanced briefly at the planet's inhabitants, wondering which of them might have that information. The ones he could see were all dressed like civilians and probably had no access to that bit of knowledge. Finding one that did would be more complicated but he was certain they'd be able to do it if they didn't give up.

"Hmmm.. I think Cheetara will of course be with the group that finds Mumm-Ra," he began. "Maybe Pumyra too if he requires some kind of medical assistance." he frowned, considering that statement. "Or maybe not. Mumm-Ra seems to be able to heal himself up pretty well without any doctors."

"I think," Pumyra put in. "whatever wounds he has would be taken care of just by putting him into his sarcophagus," she reminded him, confirming the observation he'd made. "Maybe I should go with whoever finds it instead."

"You sure about that?"Tygra asked her just to be certain.

She nodded. "What could I possibly do for the undead anyway?" she stated.

"All right then," he looked at the others. "Who wants to go with Pumyra?"

"I'll go," Panthro offered. "If she plans on moving that sarcophagus she's going to need to bring some muscle along." he punched his fist into the palm of his left hand. "That's where I come in. There's no way she can move that stone coffin by herself, no offense, Pumyra," he said, looking over at her.

She smiled. "None taken," she said. "I was hoping I'd get someone to come along to do the heavy lifting." she chuckled. "But I'll help as much as I can."

"Snarf will go with Panthro and Pumyra," Snarf spoke up then. "I can help them find the sarcophagus." he pulled out what looked like some of the bandages Mumm-Ra wore. "I can sniff out it's location with the help of this!"

"Where'd you get that, snarf?" Tygra asked him, eyes widening as he and the others stared at the small, fuzzy creature in surprise.

"On the floor in Mumm-Ra's pyramid," he explained. "I guess it came off when he was fighting that Erisian bounty hunter the Ancient Spirits told us about, snarf snarf."

Pumyra took the piece of wrapping. "This will make finding things easier for sure," she stated, agreeing with him."Thank you, Snarf!"

"Aww don't mentioned it," he said, putting his hands behind his back and smiling modestly.

The female thundercat looked at the others. "Panthro, Snarf, and I will search for Mumm-Ra' s sarcophagus," she said, looking at Lion-O. "Why don't you, Cheetara and Tygra go and find Mumm-Ra? With Snarf's nose and Cheetara's sixth sense we should be able to get everything taken care of in no time."

Lion-o nodded in agreement. "A very good idea," he stated. "Once we have them let's meet back at the ship. Hopefully we won't run into any trouble in the meantime." The other Thundercats agreed. "All right then, Thundercats, let's get moving!"

* * *

Whileykat, Bengali, and Lynx-Oo were at first surprised by how Monkian and Slithe reacted to their little charade but, when the Thunderkitten began to laugh, the adults joined in as well, realizing it was indeed pretty hilarious that the two mutants had responded to it by screaming and jumping out the window.

"Looks like we won't have to worry about them for awhile," Bengali remarked once he'd calmed down.

Whileykat was still laughing about it but Lynx-O put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Now that we've taken care of that problem I think it's time we look for Whileykit, before the mutants realize it wasn't the Erisians that came to their home."

That got Whileykat serious again. "Oh yeah, we have to find her!" he started to rush off. "come on!"

The adult thundercats moved quickly to follow their young companion.

"Kit!" he called out as he went. "Kit, where are you?"

"Whileykat?"

The Tthunderkitten stopped, turning his head, spotting his sister standing not too far away from him down the hall.

"Kit!" he exclaimed, rushing toward her.

She rushed at him, meeting him highway and hugging him tightly, squashing Ma-Mutt between them. The poor dog whined in protest, not liking being sandwiched in between the two kittens.

"Oh, sorry, Ma-Mutt." Whileykit chuckled and set the dog on the floor. "I'll set you down the next time I go to hug my brother."

"How'd you get away from them?" Bengali asked her, looking surprised to see her running around the castle.

"I escaped," she explained. She knelt and petted Mumm-Ra's dog as she continued. "with a little help from ma-mutt." she scratched im behind the ears and the dog wagged his tail happily.

"By the way," she added, looking up at the three males. "I saw Slithe and Monkian jump out the window, you three wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Whileykit started laughing and she smiled. "You guys _do_!" she exclaimed, picking Ma-Mutt back up. "What in Thundera did you guys _do_ to them for them to react that way?"

"It was Lynx-o's idea." Whileykat began to explain the entire thing to his sister as the four Thundercats made their way to the exit of Castle Plun-Darr. She laughed as he told the entire story.

"Lynx-o, you're a genious!"

"Thanks," he said. "but it wasn't anything special. Let's just get back to Cat's Lair before they realize they've been tricked!"

 _A/N_

 _One plotline down. Took long enough._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Pumyra, Panthro, and Snarf used extreme caution as they made their way through the Erisian city, managing to successfully avoid having any kind of alteration with any of the planet's inhabitants as they proceeded with their mission. Snarf, keeping his nose to the ground, followed the scent of Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus to it's current location. Once they entered the large building that housed the cell the mummy had been confined in, they had to be extra careful, due to the halls being patrolled by what looked like guards.

"There sure are a lot of them in here," Pumyra remarked after the three had just barely avoided detection. "I wonder why?"

"There must be something going on somewhere in here," Panthro remarked, looking thoughtful. "Maybe some kind of special occati-whoa, watch it, Snarf!" he reached out and grabbed the creature by the scruff, pulling him into the closet the trio had hid in, just seconds before another guard walked past without even looking in their direction.

"That was close," Snarf remarked, his ears drooping.

"Just try to be more careful," Panthro warned him. "We can't risk getting caught after we've gotten this far."

"Sorry, snarf, snarf" the creature whined. "Maybe I should pay more attention to what's around me than what's below me."

Panthro nodded. "Just keep on alert," he cautioned, setting the snarf back onto the ground. "We don't want to get caught, not when we're so close to finding it."

"I know, I know, snarf," he complained. "Just give me a break, okay?" he put his nose back to the ground and sniffed. "Okay, this way." he pointed down the hall the two Erisians had come from. It's getting stronger now. Let's go." he moved down the hall, the two Thundercats, now on full alert, following closely behind.

"I don't like this," Pumyra whispered to Panthro. "The further in we go the more likely we are to get caught or lost." she looked around. "It's like a maze in here and I don't know if we're going to be able to find the way out."

"Don't worry about it," Panthro assured her. "I made sure we'll be able to get out of here." he held up some kind of device. "Always come prepared."

"Oh," she smiled.

They kept moving.

* * *

Elsewhere Lion-O, Cheetara, and Tygra were having a harder time finding Mumm-Ra. Cheetara could only randomly pick up on the undead wizard's pain and she was having a hard time piecing together the images she could see. Lion-O had tried to use the Sword of Omens to find im once more but sight beyond sight was still blinded by all the evil energy in the air and it prevented him from making anything out.

"It's not use," Tygra said to him once he'd lowered the Sword of Omens after another failed attempt to use it. "we're not going to be ale to find him with that. We're just going to have to rely solely on Cheetara." the tiger Thundercat turned his head to address the female who was holding the sides of her head and concentrating. "Are you picking up on anything?"

"No," she sighed and lowered her hands. "and you pressuring me isn't going to help." she frowned at him. "You know how it drains me, I can't just keep on doing it."

"Sorry," he apologized, realizing he'd upset her. "I should have been more considerate."

"Yes, you should have." she responded in a pointed tone.

"I said I was sorry." he muttered, looking hurt.

"Okay," Lion-O spoke up just then. "Let's focus on the task at hand. We're running out of time."

"Right," Cheetara agreed, looking back at him. "I think we need to keep moving. I don't like how those guys are staring at us." she pointed a short distance away where two male Erisians in were staring in their direction and whispering to each other.

The other two Thundercats looked where she indicated just in time to see the two Erisians glance their way one last time before they walked off.

"We'd better keep moving," Lion-O stated. "I don't like the looks of this."

They quickly moved away from the place deciding to try getting closer to the large building in the center of the city. As they got closer to the structure Cheetara suddenly cried out in pain and grabbed her head. The two male Thundercats instantly were on both sides of her, staying close just in case she fell over.

After a few seconds she recovered. Lion-O looked at her expectantly. "What did you see?"

She looked at him. "I know where he is."

* * *

Panthro, Pumyra, and Snarf actually had some good luck. It hadn't taken much longer searching before they found out where Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus was. Snarf climbed in the window of the cell and unlocked the door to allow the two Thundercats inside where they stood before the stone coffin and worked out their next course of action.

"Now that we've found it, how are we going to get it out of here?" Pumyra asked, studying it for a moment. She looked at Panthro. "I don't think you're strong enough to carry it out all by yourself..."

"No, it's fine," he assured her, walking up to it. "I'm stronger than I look, I promise." he reached out and grabbed the sarcophagus, lifting it off the floor. "See?"

She looked a bit surprised but nodded. "I see..."she turned to Snarf who was by the door keeping watch, asking. "Anyone out there?"

"No," he replied, looking back up at her. "The coast is clear. Not a single Erisian in sight, snarf snarf."

"All right then," she headed over to Panthro, intent on helping him carry that thing the best she could. "Let's get this thing out of here."

* * *

"We're almost there," Cheetara said as she led the other two Thundercats through the maze like halls of the Erisian's center command building. "We don't have much further to go." she paused, putting out her hand to stop them. "I think we have trouble." she pointed ahead.

The two males looked past her and spotted some of the Erisian guards heading toward them. At the moment the aliens hadn't spotted the Thundercats but that wouldn't last much longer as there was no way of hiding from them.

"I guess we have no choice," Tygra said, pulling out his whip. "We're going to have to fight them."

The orther two Thundercats nodded in agreement, Cheetara taking out her staff and Lion-O grasping the sword of omens. Hopefully this wouldn't take long. The trio rushed forward and quickly dispatched of the the Erisians, taking them by surprise and knocking them out cold before they even knew what hit them. Once they finished they rushed ahead, faithfully following Cheetara's directions.

"It's not too much farther now," the female Thundercat said to the other two. "I'll run ahead and take care of any opposition."

Lion-O started to say, "Cheetara wait-" but it was too late as she had already run ahead and was out of sight before the other two could fully grasp what just happened.

"I hope there aren't any more corridors between here and where Mumm-Ra is," Tygra remarked, "because we just lost out only source of finding him."

"If there are any, I'm sure she'll come back to get us after she's finished," Lion-O told him. However he didn't reveal that he was harboring a similar feeling of nervousness. What if she didn't come back to them? What if she were captured before she could?

No, he had to have more confidence in Cheetara than that. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

He didn't need to worry as Cheetara came rushing back to them and matched their pace, saying. "I found out where he is," she told them. "They have him in some a room with some kind of machine."

"A machine?" Lion-O looked at Tygra worried. "what are they doing to him?"

"I don't know," she replied. "but whatever it is it doesn't look good. We need to get there quickly, I would have taken them out but there were too many of them so I'm going to need help."

"Don't worry," Tygra told her. "we'll deal with them together."

"All right," she sped up a little. "Let's hurry, we don't have much time!"

The two male thundercats wondered what she meant by that but they would find out soon enough so neither asked her any questions. It was time to focus on the task at hand and not dawdle. The fate of the universe was at stake.

They had nearly reached the room when suddenly everything around them began to shake, even the floor, nearly knocking the trio over.

"What's happening?!" Tygra exclaimed, putting out his hands to keep his balance.

Cheetara's eyes widened as horrible images flashed in her mind. she put out her hand, resting it on the wall as her sixth sense gave her pictures of red light and pain. When it passed she looked back at the others.

"Mumm-Ra's in trouble. We have to get to him, now!"

* * *

Elsewhere Panthro, Pumyra and Snarf also felt the tremors which only made carrying Mumm-Ra's sarcophagus even harder to do.

"What is going on?" Snarf exclaimed, tripping over his feet.

Panthro seemed to be able to figure it out pretty quickly. "Trouble," he replied, nudging the snarf to go a little faster despite the shaky ground. "we'd better hurry and get this back to the ship so we can find the others. I have a feeling they're going to need it."

* * *

The thundercat trio made their way to the room where Cheetara had seen the machine in her vision. Before they could get inide the room however they were barred by a quartet of erisian guards. One of them barked something in the erisian language but the thundercats were unable to understand what exactly he was saying. It didn't matter however because the guards attacked them mere seconds later.

"Well whatever they said, it wasn't good," Tygra remarked, gripping his whip in both hands as he took a fighter's stance.

The other two nodded, pulling out their own weapons. Without saying any other words being said the two groups of creatures charged, their weapons clashing loudly when they hit their targets. It didn't take the thundercats too long to deal with the Erisians, as they were much better fighters and the guards were used to slower targets. The cats were much faster and more agile than the guards and soon the erisians were laid flat on the floor with no chance of them getting up any time soon.

"Let's go!" Lion-O shouted rushing into the room. His companions were not too far behind.

But when he burst through the door he froze in horror, stopping so abruptly that Tygra and Cheetara ran into him, though he did not fall over.

"Lion-o What-" Tygra's question ended midway through asking it when he caught sight of what his friend was looking at.

Before them was a large machine that took up the whole back wall, it was an ugly thing, a made up of a mess of wires and metal. In the center of the machine was a large orb made of thick glass. Inside the orb, his body hanging crucifixion style, was Mumm-Ra. He was screaming as sparks of dark energy was syphoned from his body.

Cheetara let out her own scream, collapsing to the floor with her hands over her ears.

"Cheetara!" Tygra knelt down beside her.

Lion-o looked down at her then back toward the machine. This is when he noticed the large group of Erisians standing in front of it and a much taller Erisian standing right by the machine, who looked like the leader. The tall Erisian looked in Lion-O's direction. Their eyes locked and then the alien shouted a command in his language that caused all the Erisians around him to turn and rush at the thundercats.

Lion-O held the Sword of Omens before him, realizing he didn't have any choice but to defend himself and the other two. In the state Cheetara was in at the moment she had no way of doing it himself and Tygra was so focused on her that he couldn't do anything either.

 _I guess it's up to me now!_

That concluded he rushed forward, facing all the Erisians himself. He didn't need to worry, as the Erisians went down quickly and he was soon standing before the big Erisian and the machine, covered in blood and panting from exertion. He faced the larger one, holding the Sword of Omens before him threateningly.

"Release Mumm-Ra!" he ordered in a voice that said he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

However the big alien stood before him defiantly. When he spoke he did so in a language that the lord of the Thundercats could understand.

"I am afraid that is impossible." he raised a hand, waving it at the machine behind him. "Once the power source has been put inside there is no way to remove it." the erisian smiled a wicked smile. "You are too late."

No! There was no way that could be true. Lion-O looked away from his much taller enemy toward the machine. There had to be some way to get the wizard out of there.

"You really shouldn't be bothering, thundercat," the erisian said, regaining his attention. "I mean I took care of your little evil problem. You really should _thank_ me."

"Thank you for what?" Lion-O demanded. "Putting the entire universe in danger?"

"What?" the erisian sneered at him. "There is no danger to that unless I choose to end the universe with this." he waved his hand at the machine. "we have been waiting eons for the chance to use our ancestor's technology to reach our goals."

He let his hand drop, frowning at Lion-O. "and I will not allow you to come here as if it's your business and meddle." he pulled something out of his robes. It looked like some kind of weapon, a high powered energy blaster. "you will not interfere!"

The erisian fired at him. He quickly used the sword of omens to knock the blast away, soon realizing that he was going to have to continue to do this as his enemy continued to fire on him.

"Give up, thundercat," the erisian said as he continued to fire. "This time you won't be the one coming out on top!"

But lion-O got an idea. Still warding off his enemy's firepower he rushed forward, the sword of omens growing in length without him having to call for it. He jumped high into the air and drove the blade straight into machine's control panel.

At first nothing happened but then sparks burst out of the hole the sword of omens had made in the control panel, growing longer and speaking out over the entire machine.

"No! You fool!" the erisian exclaimed, "what have you _done_?!"

"End your planetary reign of terror!" Lion-O responded, letting go of the sword and stepping back so he wouldn't get electrocuted.

Just as he did so there was a huge explosion that nearly knocked both creatures over as the machine overloaded and shattered. As the dust cleared the Thundercat lord looked toward the large transparent orb encasing Mumm-Ra. it had broken open, the energy syphoning halted. The ancient wizard fell limply from the broken hole. Lion-o rushed forward and caught him before he hit the floor.

"Mumm-Ra!" the thundercat shouted at him as he held him carefully. "Mumm-Ra wake up!"

The undead wizards eyes remained blank for a moment then they slowly began to glow as he regained consciousness. "...Th...Thundercat?" he spoke in a weak voice.

"Hold on, Mumm-Ra," Lion-O said to him, being careful not to drop him. "we're getting you out of here."

"..." Mumm-Ra said nothing.

The thundercat turned from the broken machine and fixed his gaze onto his comrades. Cheetara had recovered and was being helped up by Tygra. The lord smiled slightly, relieved to see is friends were okay. Without a moment's hesitation he lifted the mummy in his arms and rushed toward the others calling out. "I got him! Let's get out of here!"

* * *

Panthro, Snarf, and pumyra had reached the Fe-Liner without much trouble. They'd tried their best not to be seen while lugging Mumm-Ra's heavy sarcophagus around but it have proved to be very complicated. At one point someone , it looked like a group of children, had spotted them but instead of them running off to alert the authorities about it they'd all just stood there, staring at the thundercats as if they had no idea what in the world they were looking at. It might have been funny if the situation hadn't been so serious.

Once the trio had lugged the stone coffin inside they'd set it on the floor and then collapsed around it, exhausted.

"Man, that thing was getting heavier the longer we carried it," Panthro groaned, rubbing his sore arms. "How much does it weigh?!"

"My guess would be about a ton," Pumyra replied. "or more." she rubbed her own arms. She was not as strong as her male friend and half the time she wondered if he was letting her carry the full weight, though she was certain he wasn't. the sarcophagus was just that heavy. "at least the hard part's over for now. We can rest until the others arrive with mumm-ra."

"I sure hope they don't take too long," Panthro responded.

"Same here." she got back up. "Come with me. I'll put some ointment on your arms to relieve the soreness."

* * *

"That will be far enough."

Lion-O's path wa suddenly blocked by a figure. It was dressed differently from the other erisians, taking on a more "professional" look in a skin tight jumpsuit and lightweight armor that covered their arms legs and torso. around their waste was a utility belt with a blaster clipped onto it. the thundercats concluded this one was female and she was preventing him from leaving.

"Get out of my way," he ordered her.

The female erisian made no move to follow his command. "You will not be leaving with the mummy, Thundercat."

"I'm warning you. don't make me-"

"Let go of me, Thundercat."

Startled by Mumm-Ra's voice Lion-O looked down at the wizard. "Mumm-Ra?"

The ancient wizard had regained consciousness and lifted his head. "Let me go," he said again.

"But-"

Mumm-Ra's eyes were locked on the female erisians blocking their path. "This one is mine."

Something about his tone made Lion-O do what he wished. Setting the undead wizard down on the ground he stepped back, wondering what in the world the lich intended to do to her in such a weakened state. However if Mumm-Ra wished to do this he wouldn't stop him, something told him he'd better let the mummy handle this. It seemed like it was a extremely personal matter.

The erisian was looking at Mumm-Ra with an expression of smug superiority. "What?" she taunted. "Haven't gotten enough punishment?"

Mumm-Ra glared at her, his red eyes glowing with pure hatred as he stood there, body erect and showing no visible signs of his weakened condition. He pointed a bony finger at her as he shouted. "I have no intention of losing to you again! I have had enough."

Suddenly, to Lion-O's astonishment, Mumm-Ra's body was enveloped in blood red light then, without him even saying the chant for it, he transformed into his ever living state. The thundercat's eye widened. He didn't even know the wizard could do that!

Mumm-Ra was still completely focused on the woman. he raised his hands, creating an intense ball of red energy. he locked eyes on her and screamed. "I am going to _kill_ you!"

Without another word he rushed her, firing dark red energy from his palms. The bounty hunter, taken somewhat by surprise, dodged to the side at the last second, only barely avoiding being hit by it.

While the two fought Lion-O and the other thundercats watched them, looking rather surprised by this.

"I thought he couldn't even move," Tygra remarked.

"He couldn't," Cheetara remarked. "The only reason he can even use his powers now is because he's full of pure rage."

"Should we help him?"

Lion-O looked at Tygra and said. "No, you two head to the Fe-Liner," he added before they asked. "I'll stay behind just in case things turn against him." he waved a hand back at them. "Now go!"

Without another word the two Thundercats did what their lord bidded.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Cheetara asked as they rushed through the streets of the city.

"I don't know," Tygra replied. "but we're just going to have to trust both of them."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Back at the Fe-Liner after Pumyra had rubbed ointment on Panthro's sore limbs he'd gone into the control room to set the sarcophagus up straight instead of flat on the floor. This way once the others arrived with Mumm-Ra they could just set him inside and close the lid, no problem. But first their companions had to _get_ there with the mummy.

Panthro sat at the controls, getting everything ready for a quick get away. Hopefully there wouldn't be any Erisian ships sent after them and they could escape unnoticed.

"Maybe we should try and get closer," Pumyra said, walking over to join him at the control panel "That way they won't have as far to go and will make it less likely for them to worry about getting into trouble."

"Not a bad idea," he said, beginning to warm up the engines. "this will make things much easier."

"But," Snarf spoke up. "They're expecting us to be here. If we leave and they arrive after we have they're going to wonder where we are."

The two Thundercats looked at each other. He was right. Panthro shut up the engines. "I guess we're just going to have to wait here."

* * *

Mumm-ra continued his attack on the female bounty hunter, spurred on by murderous rage. His mind ran over all the things she'd done to him, repeating the list over and over and making the undead wizard even more angry. He'd been helpless against her sadistic torture but now he was free and able to fight back. He cursed her as he chased after her, firing red blasts or energy from his hand, wanting nothing more than to crush her with his bare hands then tear her body into fragments and toss them to the winds.

Before he left this planet he was going to make sure she never saw another sunrise. She was going to die and he was going to be the one to kill her. Then he would ensure this planet never came after him again!

From where Lion-o stood he could only watch, mouth open and eyes wide. Mumm-Ra had never fought against him this hard and they clashed often. What was it about that one Erisian that spurred him on so much? What had she done to cause such a reaction from him?

It was best he didn't try to figure that out. Mumm-ra wouldn't have answered him if he had asked anyway, he had his pride and admitting she had beaten and humiliated him would have been something the Thundercat would have been had to force out of him. For now the Thundercat should just mind his own business and only ask for an explanation if Mumm-Ra was actually willing to share. Highly unlikely but you never knew.

At the moment, though the undead wizard was only thinking about ending the life of the Erisian bounty hunter.

Fueled by pure fury he chased her around the area, firing blast after blast of red energy at her. So far she'd managed to avoid them but he knew that wouldn't last forever. She would eventually tire and when that happened he take that moment to blow her to atoms. He'd let his ego get in the way the last time he'd faced her back on Third Earth but there was no vanity involved this time. He didn't even care that Lion-O was watching him. None of that mattered now, only destrroying his enemy.

And he would, nothing was going to stop him this time.

She seemed to realize this as well and began changing her strategy. She could tell that the Mumm-Ra before her now was far different from the one she'd been against in the black pyramid. That one had given her time to think of a plan, this one wasn't even giving her much time to even breath! She was going to have to think of something and quickly if she wanted to live.

As she dodged another blast of energy from him she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Lion-O the Thundercat king was still there, lingering on the sidelines, watching the entire fight. She also noticed he was holding onto the Sword of Omens and it was in it's released state, the infinitely sharp blade in the proper form for killing.

If she could get that sword away from him and use it on the mummy she would win. All she needed to do was get to him. That was going to be harder than it looked due to Mumm-Ra seeming to be everywhere. She would just have to wait for the right time to find an opening and make her move.

Though right now she should just be focusing on staying alive as Mumm-Ra was not letting up on her. He wanted her dead and he wouldn't give up until that became a reality. That was only making things harder for her.

She turned her attention back to him, seeing the mummy coming right toward her. She swore and jumped out of the way, realizing she was going to have to stop letting herself get distracted because she very nearly lost her life. Mumm-ra reached up when she jumped almost grabbing her leg, only missing by half an inch. While she was still in the air he fired at her, smiling in triumph when one of the blasts actually hit her, making her cry out in pain and fall onto the ground.

Now that she was down, he ran toward her, intending to finish her off. Unfortunately she got back up and kicked out at him, catching him in the chest and knocking him backward. He didn't fall however, merely sliding back a few feet before coming to a stop. He smiled and came at her again.

She decided now would be a good time to make her move. Rushing forward she made as if to attack Mumm-Ra then went and jumped over him, making her way toward where Lion-O stood.

"I am your opponent!" the mummy shouted after her. "You will not involve the Thundercat!"

She ignored him, keeping her focus on Lion-O who saw her coming and got into a defensive stance, ready for her to come after him.

She predicted that and pulled out her blaster, firing it at the Thundercat. He wasn't ready for that and took the blast in the chest, being knocked off his feet. He hit the wall then crumbled to the floor, dropping the Sword of Omens in the process. But just as she was about to pick it up she was hit from behind by a blast from Mumm-Ra.

She cried out and hit the floor. She started to get up but then froze when Mumm-Ra landed right in front of her.

"I told you _I_ am your opponent," he growled at her. "However if you wish to involve him." Mumm-Ra walked over and reached down, picking up the Sword of Omens. To everyone's surprise the sword didn't return to it's normal state or try to escape the undead wizard's grasp. He turned back to her, grasping the sword firmly in his hand. "It will only, make things much harder for you!"

He swung at her with it, barely missing her as she rolled out of the way just in time. She got a safe distance and got back to her feet, facing him as he rushed at her, the sword held aloft in his hand.

"You will not get away this time!"

* * *

"Look! I see somebody coming!" Pumyra called out when she looked outside the windshield of the Fe-Liner. "It looks like Tygra and Cheetara."

Both Snarf and Panthro looked up where she pointed, seeing that it was indeed the two Thundercats.

"But where is Lion-O, snarf snarf?" Snarf asked worriedly.

"I guess we'll just have to ask them when they come inside," Panthro replied, his eyes locked on the two Thundercats rushing toward the ship. "Which will be very soon if the speed they're coming is any indication."

He hit a button and the gang plank for the ship hissed open allowing the the two to get inside. Once they entered snarf rushed up to them asking. "Where is Lion-O?"

The two looked at each other then Tygra said. "Well, it's kind of a long story..."

* * *

Lion-O couldn't believe what he was seeing. Mumm-Ra was able to wild the Sword of Omens with no ill effect. He couldn't even begin to figure out how or why that was possible, not that it mattered, as he seemed to be still solely focused on killing the Erisian. What he would do with the sword after he'd killed her remained to be seen. The Thundercat just hoped he didn't intend on keeping it, that is if he was still able to after he'd defeated his opponent.

If his rage against her was causing him to be able to reach his every living state without chanting for the Ancient Spirits of Evil to give him power, it was very likely that as soon as he accomplished his singular focused goal he'd most likely go back to normal afterward and that meant he wouldn't be able to use the sword or the eye any longer either.

 _That is_ if _he beats her..._

Why in the world was he thinking in ifs? Of course he would beat her. he'd beat her and then they would all go back to third earth and everything would return to the way it was. There wasn't any other alternative. Maybe after this the Erisians wouldn't try powering up their star destroying machine again and would leave the mummy and any other immortal evil beings alone.

By the looks of things Mumm-ra's fight wasn't going to last much longer. The female was beginning to tire and Lion-O could tell her movements had grown sluggish and the mummy's blade was getting much closer to landing a hit on her body. He began to wonder if maybe he should do something now that things were winding down.

 _Do not interfere, lion-o,_ Jagga's voice seemed to echo in his mind. _This is Mumm-Ra's fight and his alone._

 _But what about the Sword of Omens, I don't think Mumm-Ra will give it back after this._

 _Do not worry about that, Lion-O. It will take care of itself._

 _All right, Jagga, I trust you..._

He was jarred out of his mental conversation with the Thunderian mentor by a cry of pain. He blinked and stared over at Mumm-Ra and the Eirsian, realizing that the un-dead wizard had her on the ground and was holding the Sword of Omens over her.

She was staring up at him, a hand over her side which was turning red with blood, and for some reason she had a sinister smile on her face.

"Go ahead and kill me, " she taunted him. "even if I die they will just send another person to come and bring you back."

He glared down at her, his red eyes flashing dangerously. "Then I will just have to make sure that _doesn't_ happen!"

Then, before either her or him could react or make any attempts to stop him he drove the sword downward, stabbing the Erisian through her chest and piercing the surface on the planet.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds, Lion-O staring in shock at what he'd just seen and the woman staring up at Mumm-Ra just as shocked as the Thundercat was at the fact he had actually killed her. Then time started moving again and she coughed, blood coming out of her mouth and splattering on the Sword of Omens and the mummy's face. She gasped a few times then lay still, dead.

Mumm-Ra stepped away from the sword, letting his arm drop. As he did his body returned to normal, no longer maintaining the tall and muscular frame. A second after this he stumbled, causing Lion-O to rush over to him and grab him before he did so.

"Mumm-Ra!" he exclaimed.

"I am fine, Thundercat," the mummy muttered, lifting his head to look up at him.

Lion-O looked down at the Sword of Omens piercing the dead Erisian. "What did you do?"

Before Mumm-Ra could respond the ground started shaking. He met the Thundercat's brown eyes and asked. "Does that tell you?"

Something told Lion-O it was time to get out of there. Picking up the mummy with one hand he pulled the Sword of Omens out of the body with the other and took off running in the direction of the Fe-Liner.

* * *

The other Thundercats back at the Fe-Liner were waiting for Lion-O and Mumm-Ra to returned when the ground began to shake, knocking the ship up and down with it.

"What's happening?!" Snarf exclaimed, grabbing onto one of the seats to prevent himself from falling over.

"It feels like an earthquake," Tygra remarked. he looked at Cheetara. "did Lion-O lose?"

She couldn't answer that question. Her sixth sense hadn't picked up on anything that would indicate such an event. She shook her head at him, unable to say anything.

"Hey, look here comes Lion-O!" Panthro shouted looking out of the ship. "and he has Mumm-Ra!"

"Open the ship up for them!" Tygra shouted. "Let them in!"

Panthro did so, allowing the Thundercat lord to climb on board with the mummy as soon as he did he shouted. 'The whole planet is falling apart, take us out of here!"

The other Thundercats rushed to do so as Lion-O handed Mumm-Ra off to Pumyra who led him carefully over to where his sarcophagus was located. "Let's get you inside before you fall apart."

As she led him toward it Tygra and Panthro got the Fe-Liner off the ground and into the sky, the craft propelling away from the planet as structures collapsed and large cracks formed on the surface.

Panthro's eyes widened as he saw the planet falling apart below them. He turned his head back toward Lion-O. "What in the world happened?!"

The Thundercat lord could only shake his head. "I'll explain it later, if we manage to to get away from here in one piece!"

Luck seemed to be with the Thundercats however and the Fe-liner, tanks to the piloting skills of both Tygra and Panthro, managed to clear the planet's atmosphere and reach open space. And just in time too for as soon as the ship maintained a safe distance the planet exploded, sending large chunks of it flying in all directions. Some of them just barely missed contacting the Thundercat's ship, while others whizzed past them at a safe distance.

While Tygra and Panthro steered the sip out of the way of the planetary shards, the others watched the pieces, eyes wide in shock and horror. The catastrophe bringing back some very unpleasant memories of when their own home planet had been destroyed.

They had just barely escaped their deaths a second time.

"Let's go home," Lion-O said after a moment once they were all safely out of the way of danger. "There is nothing more to do here..."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After the Thundercat's escaped from the carnage of the destroyed planet Mumm-Ra had collapsed to the floor, prompting Pumyra to order him be placed inside of his sarcophagus, which Panthro did so. After that was taken care of the panther Thundercat and Tygra went to work getting the group back to third earth. As they did so and Pumyra tended to the mummy she asked Cheetara how she was doing, to which she responded that her link with the undead wizard had been severed and she was feeling much better, which brought a sigh of relief from all the other Thundercats in the ship. Snarf put in then that he was glad it hadn't been him sharing a link with such a terrible person.

Wile the rest of the cats spoke among themselves Lion-O stepped out of the control room into the quiet of the hall where he could talk to Jaga's ghost in peace. When the spectral elder showed up he asked him.

"Why could Mumm-Ra wield the sword of Omens back there?" This fact had been bothering him and he needed t know the answer.

"Because," Jaga responded. "his intentions had been completely pure."

Lion-O stared at him with widening eyes. "Pure? Mumm-ra?"

"I know that this is hard to believe," the elder responded. "But at that moment when confronting with an evil far greater than himself and facing oblivion no vile thoughts were on his mind. All he could think of was ending it."

"Hmmm..." Lion-O let that sink in for a moment. Maybe it explained why he could also take on his ever living form without asking the ancient spirits of evil to do so? Did tat mean he was no longer a bad person? Probably not.

"However," the spirit continued, regaining the young Thundercat's attention. "While he has removed a threat some forms of evil never die."

The leader began to ask what he meant by that but Jaga vanished before he could even put words to the question, leaving him wondering what exactly the elder was implying.

Many hours later the Thundercats landed the Fe-Liner outside of Mumm-Ra's black pyramid. As they carried the sarcophagus back into the structure Mumm-Ra woke briefly. His eyes widened and he looked like he was going to panic.

"Don't worry, Mumm-Ra," Pumyra assured him. "You're back home."

He said nothing, letting her words sink in before he remembered the events of the past few days and relaxed, his eyes darkening as he fell back into slumber.

"You know," Panthro said as he and Tygra closed the lid of the stone coffin and began to set it back up where in belonged in the large chamber. "we could have just dropped the thing into the sun. I mean it would have ended all of our problems."

"No," Lion-O said, frowning. "we promised to bring him back unharmed."

"But you know he's not going to change," Tygra spoke up. "He'll just try to steal the sword of omens again."

"I am aware of that," he told him. "but if we did that we would be no better than he is. Besides he would just show up again anyway."

"Oh yeah..." the tiger fell silent.

After they had finished up in the pyramid the Thundercats headed back to their ship and flew it back to cat's lair where they would be greeted happily by their friends who had stayed behind who had their own stories to tell.

The End


End file.
